Social Work Literature Searching: Current Issues With Databases and Online Search Engines

Objectives:
To compare the performance of a range of search facilities; and to illustrate the execution of a comprehensive literature search for qualitative evidence in social work.

Context:
Developments in literature search methods and comparisons of search facilities help facilitate access to the best available evidence for social workers.

Method:
The performance of 14 databases and web search engines was appraised, by applying a search formula for articles relating to perpetrators of intimate partner violence and the process of change.

Results:
Seventy-two out of seventy-eight relevant articles were found on just six of the search facilities used. Social Services Abstracts performed the best. Web search engines did not contribute any unique hits.

Conclusion:
The need to use a range of databases was confirmed. Databases have performed inconsistently across case studies to date. New approaches to pilot-testing facilities and search terms proved useful. Accessing qualitative evidence to inform practice must become more straightforward.