Rubin and Babbie's ESSENTIAL RESEARCH METHODS FOR SOCIAL WORK provides students with a concise introduction to research methods that offers illustrations and applications specific to the field, as well as a constant focus on the utility of social work research in social work practice. Outlines, introductions, boxed features, chapter endings with main points, review questions and exercises, and Internet exercises provide students with the information and practice they need to succeed in the course. Part of the Cengage Empowerment Series, the fourth edition is up to date and thoroughly integrates the core competencies and recommended practice behaviors outlined in the current Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Part I: AN INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY IN SOCIAL WORK.
1. Why Study Research?
2. Evidence-Based Practice.
Part II: THE RESEARCH PROCESS.
3. Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods of Inquiry.
4. Factors Influencing the Research Process.
Part III: ETHICAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH.
5. Ethical Issues in Social Work Research.
6. Culturally Competent Research.
Part IV: PROBLEM FORMULATION AND MEASUREMENT.
7. Problem Formulation.
8. Measurement in Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry.
9. Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement Instruments.
Part V: SAMPLING AND SURVEYS.
10. Surveys.
11. Sampling: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches.
Part VI: DESIGNS FOR EVALUATING PROGRAMS AND PRACTICE.
12. Experiments and Quasi-Experiments.
13. Single-Case Evaluation Designs.
14. Program Evaluation.
Part VII: ADDITIONAL QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS.
15. Additional Methods in Qualitative Inquiry.
16. Analyzing Available Records: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods.
Part VIII: DATA ANALYSYS.
17. Quantitative Data Analysis.
18. Qualitative Data Analysis.
Appendix A: Using the Library.
Appendix B: Writing Research Proposals.
Appendix C: Writing Social Work Research Reports.
Appendix D: Random Numbers.
Appendix E: Using Effect Sizes to Bridge the Gap Between Research and Practice.
Glossary.
Bibliography.
Index.

Rubin and Babbie's ESSENTIAL RESEARCH METHODS FOR SOCIAL WORK provides students with a concise introduction to research methods that offers illustrations and applications specific to the field, as well as a constant focus on the utility of social work research in social work practice. Outlines, introductions, boxed features, chapter endings with main points, review questions and exercises, and Internet exercises provide students with the information and practice they need to succeed in the course. Part of the Cengage Empowerment Series, the fourth edition is up to date and thoroughly integrates the core competencies and recommended practice behaviors outlined in the current Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). NEW: In Chapter 2, the section on formulating an evidence-based practice (EBP) question includes examples of EBP questions about effectiveness, predictors of desirable and undesirable consequences, understanding client experiences, and assessment tools. Expanded coverage of systematic reviews and meta-analyses makes searching for evidence more feasible. There's also an expanded list of Internet sites for reviews and practice guidelines. NEW: Chapter 4 has increased coverage on objectivity and paradigms. It also has significantly expanded coverage of longitudinal studies, including more discussion of panel attrition as well as content that compares cross sectional studies to the three types of longitudinal studies. NEW: Chapter 14 on program evaluation includes more content on accountability, the importance of demonstrating that programs are effective and not harmful, and the connection between accountability and professional ethics. New sections cover logic models, evidence-based practice, and the utility of meta-analyses and effect-size statistics. There's also a section on the utility of pre-experimental designs, including why pre-experimental designs are commonly used in program evaluation and why their limitations are less problematic in a program evaluation context. NEW: Chapter 17 on quantitative data analysis also includes expanded coverage of effect sizes, including a new section on odds ratios and risk ratios. NEW: In response to requests from reviewers, the chapters on ethical and cultural issues in social work research appear earlier in this edition (as Chapters 5 and 6, respectively). NEW: A new appendix,” Using Effect Sizes to Bridge the Gap Between Research and Practice,” discusses calculating within-group effect sizes to enhance the value of pre-experimental designs in program evaluation. Rubin and Babbie's ESSENTIAL RESEARCH METHODS FOR SOCIAL WORK provides essential research methods content with clear, accurate coverage in a reader-friendly writing style. Social work-specific illustrations and examples illustrate how students can apply research to practice. The text offers a balanced presentation of quantitative and qualitative research methods, illustrating how these two methods can complement one another. It also covers mixed methods inquiry (the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods within the same study) and includes examples of each type of mixed methods design.