Research skills are as critical to social work practitioners as skills in individual and group counselling, policy analysis, and community development. Adopting strategies similar to those used in direct practice courses, this book integrates research with social work practice, and in so doing promotes an understanding and appreciation of the research process.

This second edition of Practising Social Work Research comprises twenty-three case studies that illustrate different research approaches, including quantitative, qualitative, single-subject, and mixed methods. Six are new to this edition, and examine research with First Nations, organizing qualitative data, and statistics. Through these real-life examples, the authors demonstrate the processes of conceptualization, operationalization, sampling, data collection and processing, and implementation. Designed to help the student and practitioner become more comfortable with research procedures, Practising Social Work Research capitalizes on the strengths that social work students bring to assessment and problem solving.

Rick Csiernik is a Professor at King’s University College, Western University. He has authored and edited several Canadian Scholars textbooks: Wellness and Work (2005); Responding to the Oppression of Addiction (co-edited with William S. Rowe, 2017, third edition); Substance Use and Abuse (2016, second edition); and Homelessness, Housing, and Mental Health (co-edited with Cheryl Forchuk and Elsabeth Jensen, 2011) . He has written more than 95 journal articles, and some of his research interests include addiction, Workplace Wellness, social work, and spirituality. He has consecutively been included on the King’s University College Honour Roll of Teaching, and is a recipient of the Instructor Appreciation Award at McMaster University.

Rick Csiernik's profile page

Rachel Birnbaum is an associate professor in the King's University College School of Social Work at the University of Western Ontario.

Rachel Birnbaum's profile page

This book is written in a simple, straightforward style with little jargon. It is aimed at students, not academicians or researchers, and it is easily readable and comprehensible. The authors’ social constructionist perspective will appeal to students and qualitative method instructors in particular. It stresses experiential learning, understanding through dialogue, empowerment of students, and the sharing of power between students and instructors… Used for course assignments and class discussions, the real world case studies speak directly to the interests of our students, and should immediately engage them.

Marsha Schwam-Harris, <em>Journal of Teaching in Social Work</em>

The strength of the approach used by these authors is that discussion of research methods and concepts are grounded in the case example providing opportunity for social work students to connect the abstract discussion of research concepts and theory to information contained in the case examples … The book is useful to social work students… [and] can also be used effectively by instructors, as the discussion questions embedded in each section could be used for small group work and discussion in the classroom …The case study approach is an effective means to read, learn, and teach research methods.

Judy Hughes, <em>Social Work Education</em>