Printed Core Texts

• Cournoyer, B (2004) The evidence based social work skills book. London: Pearson A & B.
  
• Newman, T. et.al. (2005) Evidence-based social work: a guide for the perplexed. Lyme Regis: Russell House.
  

Electronic Core Texts

The first few chapters in these books may be useful.

• Smith, D. (ed.) (2004) Social work and evidence-based practice. London: Jessica Kingsley.
• Trevithick, P. (ed.) (2005) Social work skills: a practice handbook. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Background Electronic Texts & Journal Articles

• Abbott, P. and Sapsford, R. (eds.) (1997) Research into practice: a reader for nurses and the caring professions. 2nd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press.
• Aveyard, H. and Sharp, P. (2009) A beginner's guide to evidence based practice in the health and social care professions. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill / OUP. 
• Bell, J. (2010) Doing your research project: a guide for first time researchers in education, health and social science. 5th edn. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill / OUP.
• Beresford, P. (2001) ‘Experience must inform the evidence’, Community Care, Friday 10th August [Online]. (Accessed 13 January 2010).
• Bilson, A. (ed.) (2005) Evidence based practice in social work. London: Whiting & Birch.
• Boushel, M. (2000) ‘What kind of people are we? Race, anti-racism and social welfare research’, British Journal of Social Work, 30(1), pp. 71-89 Ebscohost EJS [Online]. (Accessed 13 January 2010).
• Bronson, D.E. and Davis, T.S. (2012) Finding and evaluating evidence: systematic reviews and evidence based practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Macdonald, G., Sheldon, B. and Gillespie, J. (1992) ‘Contemporary studies of the effectiveness of social work’, British Journal of Social Work, 22(6), pp. 615-643 Oxford Journals Archive [Online]. (Accessed: 13 January 2010).
• Neate, P. (2000) ‘Face facts’, Community Care, 24th May [Online]. (Accessed: 13 January 2010).
• Nicholls, V. (2001) ‘More than just medicine’, Community Care, Friday 10th August [Online]. (Accessed: 13 January 2010).
• Philpott, T. (2000) ‘Dedicated follower of fashion’, Community Care, 24th May [Online]. (Accessed: 13 January 2010).
• Roberts, A. R. and Yeager, K.R. (2006) Foundations of evidence based social work practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• West, A. (1999) ‘Young people as researchers: ethical issues in participatory research’, in Banks, S. (ed.) Ethical issues in youth work. London: Routledge.

Background Printed Texts:

• Cheetham, J., Fuller, R., McIvor, G. and Petch, A. (1992) Evaluating social work effectiveness. London: Hodder and Staughton.
• De Vaus, D. (2002) Surveys in social research. London: Routledge.
• Everitt, A. and Hardiker, P. (1996) Evaluating for good practice. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
• Fuller, R. and Petch, A. (1995) Practitioner research: the reflexive social worker. Buckingham: OUP.
• Hek, G. and Moule, P. (2006) Making sense of research: an introduction for health and social care practitioners. 3rd edn. London: Sage.
• Locke, L., Silverman, S. and Spirduso, W. (2010) Reading and understanding research. 3rd edn. London: Sage.

 Research resources for evidence-based practice

• Ebscohost Research Databases - contain references to peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, research reports and dissertations. You can search several Ebscohost databases simultaneously. Be sure to tick the box for 'Full text' to limit your search to only material that is available in electronic full text. The following databases are useful for most social work topics:

• Academic Search Elite - covers all academic disciplines including social work
• E-journals - covers all academic disciplines including social work
• PsycINFO - pyschology and mental health
• PsycArticles - psychology and mental health
• SocIndex - sociology, social work & social sciences

For health related topics include CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature) and Medline (health and medicine). If your topic related to children and education include Education Research Complete.

• Sage Premier - Full text peer-reviewed journal articles published by Sage. It includes key social work titles such as Critical Social Policy, Research on Social Work Practice and Qualitative Social Work Research and Practice

Free Evidence on the Web

• Social Care Online - free database maintained by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). It contains records of journals, reports, websites etc. It also contains the Research Register for Social Care detailing ongoing and completed projects on all aspects of social care research.
• Google Scholar - specialist search engine which will search only academic research material on the web. The downside is that not everything it finds will be available in full text.
• Bandolier - free independent journal about evidence based health care. Its Knowledge Library contains evidence on a range of health related issues and conditions.
• Campbell Collaboration Library - free online access to systematic reviews in education, social welfare and criminal justice and the effects of interventions.
• Centre for Reviews & Dissemination - part of the National Institute for Health Research it contains systematic reviews and summaries on all aspects of health care interventions.
• Cochrane Library - free evidence based research on all aspects of health and social care.
• Department of Health: Reports & Publications - all the latest reports and publications from the Department of Health covering all aspects of health and social care.
• Evidence for Policy & Practice Coordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) -  Part of the Social Science Research Unit at the Institute of Education, University of London. The Knowledge Library contains details of a large number of systematic reviews conducted by or supported by EPPI-Centre, covering topics ranging from alcoholism to youth offending - all available in full text.
• Evidence Network: Database: King's College London - an information resource provided by the Centre for Evidence & Policy at King's College London. Covers all aspects of evidence-based social and public policy.
• Involve - part of the National Institute for Health Research Involve supports active public participation in the NHS, public health and social care research. The Evidence Library contains a huge amount of evidence based literature in this area.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Charity dedicated to working with poverty, inequality, social disadvantage and developing strong, sustainable communities and empowering people and communities. The Publications page contains a huge range of reports produced by the Foundation which are available to download for free in full text.
• NHS Evidence - access to clinical and non-clinical evidence and best practice for those in the health and social care fields.
• SCIE Research Briefings - summaries of research knowledge produced by the Social Care Institute for Excellence.
• Social Services Research Group (SSRG) - a non-profit making organisation which aims to provide a range of research information, planning and evaluation in social care and health services. The site provides free, full-text access to their journal: Research, Policy and Planning, briefings, newsletters, consultations and more which cover all aspects of health and social care research.
• TRIP Database - free evidence based reviews on all aspects of health and social care.
• Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) - this is a research unit with branches at three UK universities: University of Kent, the London School of Economics and the University of Manchester. It aims to conduct long-term research to shape the development of the health and social care systems in the UK and internationally. The site contains details of their publications and research - some of which is freely available in full text.

Children & young people

• Action for Children - Charity which supports and campaigns for the most vulnerable and neglected children and young people in the UK. The site contains details of their research and policy documents.
• Autism: the International Journal of Research and Practice - a peer-reviewed journal containing research on all aspects of autism in children.
• Barnardos - Charity dedicated to working with vulnerable children. The site has details of Barnardo's projects and their work with children and families in areas such as child poverty, education, sexual abuse, homelessness, domestic violence, disabilities and fostering and adoption. The Resources page has details of hundreds of books and tools (some available to download for free) whilst the Policy & Research Unit brings together the charity's research - some of which is freely available to download.
• British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) - BAAF works with everyone involved with adoption and fostering in the UK. It supports, advises and campaigns for better outcomes for children in care. The site includes statistics, guidance on legislation and practice and a wealth of information on this topic.
• British Journal of Social Work - peer-reviewed research articles on all aspects of social work in the UK.
• Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal - peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of social work with children, young people and their families.
• Child and Family Social Work - journal which publishes the latest research and practice relating to the wellbeing and welfare of children and their families throughout the world.
• Children & Young People Now - online magazine covering all issues facing children and young people aged 0-19 years.
• Department for Education - Website of the UK Government Department which leads the whole network of people who work with children and young people (formerly known as the Department for Children, Schools & Families). The site contains a huge amount of freely available full text resources (including a section specially for social workers) and research projects funded by the Department.
• Department of Health (DoH) - Website of the UK Government Department providing information on health and social care policy and guidance. The site includes a huge amount of information conerning the health and welfare of children and young people and has many free to download publications.
• Families Need Fathers - Charity concerned with child welfare which aims to help families retain, develop and make best use of the children's relationship with them. The publications and policy section contains details of their research and factsheets.
• Glasgow School of Social Work Research - the School aims to contribute to the promotion of social justice and social inclusion by pursing high-quality, systematic social work research in Scotland, the UK, Europe and beyond. Research activities are grouped into four main themes: professional education, criminal justice and youth justice, children, young people and families and community care and community development. The publications sections of each theme lists publications of the school with some links to free, full text documents.
• Institute of Public Care (IPC) - based at Oxford Brookes University the IPC aims to conduct research across the fields of primary care, social care, education and supported housing. The Publications page provides links to full text documents produced by the Centre; including Children and Young People's Services.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Charity which funds large UK wide research and development programmes. Many of their research reports are freely available to download.
• Journal of Child and Family Studies - peer-reviewed journal providing research on all aspects of the identification, prevention and treatment of emotional disorders in children and adolescents.
• National Children's Bureau - this is a registered charity which aims to advance the well-being and children across every aspect of their lives. The site covers a range of aspects of working with children and young people.
• NSPCC - Charity dedicated to ending child cruelty. It also works to achieve cultural, social and political change - influencing legislation, policy, practice and public attitudes. The Publications page has a wealth of materials produced by the NSPCC, some of which are available to download in full text for free. The Research page has details of research undertaken and commissioned by the NSPCC most of which are available to download in full text for free and gives access to the NSPCC library catalogue containing over 30,000 research reports and journal articles.
• Refuge - this is a national charity for women and children experiencing domestic violence. The policy & research section includes links to full text reports produced by the charity.
• What Works For Children? - an ESRC funded project between Barnardo's, City University London and the University of York to make research available to those who provide or manage services for children. The site includes links to 'Evidence Nuggets' - full text summaries of research on specific interventions with children. Please note: this site was last updated in 2006.

Crime and Prisoners

• Home Office - the Government Department responsible for protecting the public from terrorism, crime and anti-social behaviour. It has links to a wide range of full text documents and publications.
• Home Office: Drugs - the Home Office's anti-drugs website containing the latest news and guidance from the Government about the drug strategy. It has links to full text documents covering all aspects of drug and alcohol misuse.
• Home Office Research Development Statistics - a separate Home Office website which includes a wide range of full text statistical publications on all aspects of crime and policing in the UK.
• Home Office: Publications - all the latest publications from the Home Office - all freely available online.
• Howard Journal of Criminal Justice - peer-reviewed journal containing research on all aspects of criminal policy, penal policy and crime prevention.
• The Howard League for Penal Reform - Oldest penal reform charity in the UK, dedicated to working towards a safer society and community sentences. The site includes details of their campaigns, statistics and press releases on a range of prison related topics. The publications section gives details of a wide range of publications produced by the charity (some available to download for free). 
• Prison Reform Trust - Charity dedicated to prison reform and improving the lives of prisoners and their families. The printed version of Prison Report is available at Polhill Library.
• Probation Journal - peer-reviewed journal containing research relating to criminal justice and working with offenders.
• Youth Justice Board (YJB) - the YJB oversees the youth justice system in England and Wales. They work to prevent offending and re-offending by children and young people and to ensure that custody for them is safe, secure and addresses the causes of their offending behaviour. The Publications section includes a large number of free full text publications.

Disabilities

• British Journal of Learning Disabilities - peer-reviewed journal containing research articles promoting valued lifestyles and high quality services for children and adults with learning disabilities.
• Learning Disabilites: a Contemporary Journal - peer-reviewed journal looking at research in the filed of learning disabilities worldwide.
• Norah Fry Research Centre - a research centre based at the University of Bristol looking at services for people with learning disabilities. The site contains details of their ongoing and completed projects.

Gender & Sexuality

• Department of Health: Publications Section - the Department of Health's publications pages contain numerous free to download reports including many relating to gender and sexuality.
• Government Equalities Office - a small UK Government policy Department responsible for equality strategy and legislation. It takes the lead on issues relating to women, sexual orientation and transgender equality matters. The Publications, research and factsheets section has numerous free to download resources.
• Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services - peer-reviewed journal dedicated to developing knowledge to meet the practical needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in their social context.
• Race, Gender and Class - peer-reviewed journal focusing on international race, gender and class social issues with a social justice perspective.
• Refuge - this is a national charity for women and children experiencing domestic violence. The policy & research section includes links to full text reports produced by the charity.
• Stonewall - charity for bisexual, gay and lesbian people which aims to gain equality and justice. The Research and Policy section contains details of research currently being undertaken, with links to free, full text reports.

Homelessness

• Crisis - a national charity for single homeless people. The website contains details of their research and policy publications.
• Directgov: Homelessness - the homelessness section of the Directgov site.
• Homeless Pages - website maintained by Homeless Link - a charity serving individuals and agencies working with homeless people across England. It claims to be a leading source of information on research and publications concerned with homelessness.
• National Housing Federation - organisation which represents 1,200 independent, not for profit housing organisations in England. The site contains a large number of free to download publications for those working in the social housing sector.
• Shelter - Shelter is a charity which works to alleviate the distress caused by homelessness and poor housing. It works in conjunction with the housing sector to promote good practice, publish reports and deliver professional training. Many of its policy briefings are freely available to download.

Mental Health

• Ageing and Mental Health - peer-reviewed journal containing research articles investigating the relationship between the ageing process and mental health.
• Centre for Community Mental Health (CCMH) - based at Birmingham City University, the Centre works to improve services and life for people with severe and enduring mental health problems. The Centre concentrates on tackling social exclusion and the development of innovative approaches to service provision through training, education and research. The publications section has links to many freely available reports.
• Centre for Evidence Based Mental Health - the Centre is based at the University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry. The site gives details of research undertaken by the Centre and links to various publications.
• Children & Society - peer-reviewed journal looking at research on all aspects of  child health, education, care and development.
• Community Mental Health Journal - an American journal devoted to research on all aspects of community mental health theory and practice.
• Institute of Psychiatry at the Maudsley - the Institute is a school of King's College, London and carries out research in psychiatry, psychology and allied disciplines.
• Internet Journal of Mental Health - a peer-reviewed journal providing international research on all aspects of mental health.
• Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - peer-reviewed journal dedicated to researching all aspects of severe psychopathologies in children including autism and childhood schizophrenia.
• Journal of Child and Family Studies - peer-reviewed journal providing research on all aspects of the identification, prevention and treatment of emotional disorders in children and adolescents.
• Journal of Dual Diagnosis - the latest research papers exploring the co-occurrence of mental health disorders and substance abuse.
• Journal of Muslim Mental Health - peer-reviewed journal providing research exploring factors relating to the mental health of Muslims in North America and globally.
• Journal of Mental Health - this journal provides details of the latest international research in mental health , reports on evidence based practice  and provides a channel of communication between the disciplines involved  in mental health research and practice.
• Journal of Public Mental Health - peer-reviewed journal offering the latest research on mental well-being within public health.
• MEDLINE Plus: Mental Health & Behaviour - access to public-orientated resources on the topic of mental health and behaviour. This is one of a series of Health Topic listings, made available on the Web by MEDLINEPlus, a service of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
• MIND: the Mental Health Charity - MIND is the leading mental health charity for England and Wales. It aims to create a society that promotes and protects mental health for all and where people with mental distress are treated positively, fairly and with respect. The site contains numerous freely downloadable reports.
• NIHR - Mental Health Research Network - supports commercial and non-commercial large scale research in mental health and is managed by the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London and the University of Manchester. The portfolio section of the site contains details of over 100 studies undertaken by the Network covering everything from addictions to schizophrenia.
• National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) - the NMHDU is funded by the Department of Health and the NHS. It provides national support for implementing mental health policy and advises on national and international best practice to improve mental health and mental health services.
• Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health - the Centre works to improve the quality of life for people with mental health problems. It carries out research, policy work and analysis to improve practice and improve policy in mental health and public services. The Centre's main priorities are mental health care in the criminal justice system and employment and mental health but they also carry out work on other key issues in mental health.
• SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center - SAMHSA is part of the United States Department of Health & Social Services. The Center provides information about mental health for users of mental health services, their families and the general public. The site contains a database of US mental health services, resources and statistics.

Older People

• Age and Ageing - peer-reviewed journal containing research on all aspects of ageing and later life.
• Ageing and Mental Health - peer-reviewed journal containing research articles investigating the relationship between the ageing process and mental health.
• British Geriatrics Society - the BGS is a professional association of doctors specialising in geriatric medicine, old-age psychiatrists, general practitioners, nurses, therapists and others concerned with the medical care of older people and promoting better health in old age. The resources section contains a large number of freely available resources on this topic.
• Dementia - peer-reviewed journal containing social research of direct relevance to improving the quality of life and care for people with dementia and their families.
• Dementia research Centre - based at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery this is one of the UK's leading clinical research centres for dementia.
• Dementia Services Development Centre - based at the University of Stirling this is the international leader in the dementia filed providing training for health and social care professionals working with people with dementia. The site contains details of their research and projects.