Research Guides: Social Work Research Guide: Find Articles

Select Social Work Journals

Social Work
This National Association of Social Workers journal is dedicated to improving practice and advancing knowledge in social work and social welfare. Its articles yield new insights into established practices, evaluate new techniques and research, examine current social problems, and bring serious critical analysis to bear on problems in the profession. Major emphasis is placed on social policy and the solutions to serious human problems.
Social Work Research
Social Work Research, a journal of the National Association of Social Workers, publishes research to advance the development of knowledge and inform social work practice. It includes analytic reviews of research, theoretical articles pertaining to social work research, evaluation studies, and diverse research studies that contribute to knowledge about social work issues and problems.
Health & Social Work
Health & Social Work, a journal of the National Association of Social Wokers, covers the latest advances in aging, clinical work, long-term care, oncology, substance abuse, depression, and maternal health. Articles cover research, policy, specialized services, quality assurance, in-service training, and other topics that affect the delivery of health care services.
Children & Schools
Children & Schools, a journal of the National Assocation of School Workers, publishes professional materials relevant to social work services for children. The journal publishes articles on innovations in practice, interdisciplinary efforts, research, program evaluation, policy, and planning. Topics include student-authority relationships, multiculturalism, early intervention, needs assessment, violence, and ADHD. It is a practitioner-to-practitioner resource.
Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work
This journal contains peer-reviewed knowledge on the development, implementation, and ongoing use of evidence-based practice to advance the field of social work. Effective evidence-based practice includes a combination of clinical evidence for heterogeneous populations, expertise, practice wisdom, individual values, and community preferences to inform culturally responsive decision-making and approaches for a wide range of populations and settings.
Studies in Clinical Social Work: Transforming Practice, Education, and Research
This journal is a forum for clinicians, social work educators, practicum instructors, and researchers to share high quality work that critically engages and advances knowledge and practice of clinical social work. The journal has a renewed commitment to publishing critical work that reflects implications for promoting racial and social justice within a clinical process as well as advancing practice with individuals, families, and small groups in oppressed and marginalized communities.
Journal of Gerontological Social Work
This journal provides articles across a wide range of domains and settings of gerontological social work including, but not limited to, theoretical analysis, original research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods, clinical interventions, knowledge translation, systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and policy analysis. We seek manuscripts that advance the field of gerontological social work in the United States and internationally. Includes topics of social and economic justice, health and wellness, productivity and engagement, informal and formal care, supports and services, safety and abuse, social networks, marginalized and minority populations, neighborhoods and housing, and other topics related to aging and social work. For researchers, educators, and practice professionals.
Social Work with Groups
The journal offers examples of evidence-guided group work with diverse populations in multiple settings through a combination of practice illustrations and theoretical concepts.

Search these databases to find Social Work information

PsycINFO (ProQuest)
Indexes more than 1,400 journals on psychology, psychiatry, sociology, education, linguistics and physiology from the American Psychological Association (APA).
Expiration Note: Subscription has been cancelled effective January 1, 2026. For more information on cancellation decisions, see A Message from the Director about Library Collections Cuts.
CINAHL Complete (EBSCO)
Covers nursing and allied health journal articles, book chapters, and dissertations, as well as providing summarized evidence-based resources such as care sheets and quick lessons.
Academic Search Premier (EBSCO)
Scholarly journals, popular magazines and other resources covering most disciplines. A great place to start your research on any topic.
PubMed -- UMD Students, Staff & Faculty
Search more than 38 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Look for the UMD Find It button to see if UMD Library provides full-text access to articles.
ERIC (EBSCO)
ERIC contains records and links to hundreds of thousands of full-text documents. It includes records for a variety of source types, including journal articles, books, conference papers, curriculum guides, dissertations and policy papers.
Note: The Department of Education announced the ERIC collection will be significantly reduced going forward. The number of actively cataloged sources will be reduced by approximately 45% starting April 2025. Find archived and rescued Education information on the Finding Government Information Research Guide.
Education Research Complete (EBSCO)
Education Research Complete covers topics that include all levels of education from early childhood to higher education, and all educational specialties, such as multilingual education, health education, and testing. Education Research Complete provides indexing and abstracts for more than 2,100 journals, as well as full text for more than 1,200 journals, and includes full text for nearly 500 books and monographs.
Expiration Note: Subscription has been cancelled effective January 1, 2026. For more information on cancellation decisions, see A Message from the Director about Library Collections Cuts.

Kathryn A. Martin Library

Social Work Research Guide

Social Work Librarian

Child Welfare Resources

Select Social Work Journals

Search these databases to find Social Work information