Evidence-based practice (sometimes called evidence based research or evidence informed practice) is an extension of basic literature searching but it is looking specifically for resources or articles upon which decisions can be made based on clear evidence of the efficacy or otherwise of a particular treatment or intervention.
It is more commonly found in clinical subjects such as medicine or nursing, but social work practitioners and researchers are beginning to collate and make available empirical evidence within the social care framework.
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To help you get started take a look at:
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Here are print guides to key databases:
See the 3 video guides for these resources, opposite.
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This Search template may help you structure your search terms and search operators efficiently to produce a more effective search.
Other useful sources include:
While most databases will find information which is evidential-based, some databases are especially useful for this type of research. They will veer more towards the life and health sciences topics but will also contain research articles relating to more "soft sciences", such as social work.
Understanding and Using Research in Social Work Practice
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Applying Research Evidence in Social Work Practice
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A beginner's guide to evidence-based practice for health and social care
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Practitioner's Guide to Using Research for Evidence-Informed Practice
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Critical Thinking and the Process of Evidence-Based Practice
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USearch is not a database as such. It is what is called a 'Discovery Tool'. It sits across multiple databases and electronic journals and searches them all at the same time. Therefore it is a very quick way to begin searching for information. It doesn't search ALL of our databases so we recommend you repeat your search in Proquest Complete as well.
This example is looking at the impact of domestic violence on children and young people.
Below is a short video showing the use of a database with a Subject Index, in this case the Psycinfo database on the OVID platform. It demonstrates a search on the topic "How effective is CBT in the treatment of young people who self harm".
Below is a short video showing the use of the database Social Services Abstracts, which is part of the Proquest collection of databases. It is on the A-Z of Databases on the library pages but if accessed directly via Proquest, it is included as part of the Sociological Abstracts. This video demonstrates a search on the topic "The quality of life of older people in residential care".
Below is a short video demonstrating how to search the Social Science Citation Index, which is part of the Web of Science collection. You must log in to Web of Science first, and then select the Social Science Citation Index from the 'More Settings' option.
This video shows a search for information on "services and support for young people who are leaving care"
This video is the recording of a webinar by Dr. Andrew Booth, describing the different types of reviews.
Booth, A. (2016) Fifty shades of review. [Webinar] Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sdcURH22O8 [Accessed 30th August 2022].
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Try the CASP tools and Checklists for assistance in evaluating research studies so you can make good decisions based on the best research. Online modules and units are also available from the website. |
Below are a series of bite-size Critical Appraisal videos from Knowledge and Library Services, Barts Health NHS Trust, covering 10 keyquestions when apppraising Randomised-controlled trialls using CASP tools.
THis may be more 'health' specific than you need, but is provided for information.
