Literature Reviews in Social Work

The purpose of this guide is to provide background and guidelines related to literature reviews in social work. A literature review is not a simple description of all you have read on a topic. Instead, we are analyzing the resources as we present their findings. We are addressing the contributions and gaps illustrated by the resource. As we write a literature review, we are: 

• Demonstrating your knowledge of the research related to your specific research topic
• Showing that you are aware of other authors, thinkers, and researchers who have laid the foundation of your research topic
• Illustrating your ability to evaluate relevant information
• Indicating your ability to synthesize existing information 
• Arguing what gaps, inconsistencies, or problems still need to be addressed in further research on the topic
• Unifying your research materials (books, articles, resources) under a central theme 
• Convincing your reader you will be making a contribution to the research topic

The following book will be a key resource to you as you write your literature review: 

As we read our materials (books, articles, or other formats) we are thinking about  the findings, method, evidence, implications, and strengths and limitations. Now, we want to draft paragraphs focusing on the perspective of each resource. The following is a list of information we often include when discussing a resource in our literature review:

• Give the name of the author(s) and name of the resource
• Summarize the author's main argument and findings
• What information do we learn from this source that is particularly significant? What is their unique perspective on this topic? What are the contributions to the field and scholarly discussion?
• What are the weaknesses of this source? What are the limitations of this resource? This might include theory, context, approach, method, or anything else! 
• How does their work compare and contrast to other thinkers in your literature review? Or, how does their work and findings compare to other thinkers in the field of social work?

When we write a literature review we are putting the thinkers and ideas in conversation with each other around a focused topic or question. 

A way we can do this is by identifying the source, key findings, method, strengths and limitations, and significance and implications of our sources. You can do this in a chart, like below, or just within your own notes:

Example:

Approach

You have a few different approaches to writing your actual literature review: including interweaving thinkers and theory. 

Resource by Resource

The literature review "Resilience and Burnout in Child Protection Social Work: Individual and Organisational Themes from a Systematic Literature Review" by Paula McFadden et. al provides an example of how we can integrate information about the author, their findings, their arguments, and putting their insights in conversation with another source: 

Anderson (2000) examined how 151 social workers with at least two years' experience coped with job stress. The findings of the study showed that participants view themselves as using active coping strategies such as cognitive restructuring and problem solving, more than expressing emotions and social support. These strategies were used more than problem avoidance, self-criticism or social withdrawal. The findings confirm that coping strategies that are used vary according to the level of burnout experienced. According to these findings, workers should use active coping strategies such as emotion-focused coping methods and support from colleagues to prevent and treat their experiences of emotional exhaustion. Aclaro-Lapidario (2007) conducted a study with seventy-five child welfare staff to measure compassion satisfaction, burnout and STS. Findings revealed that pleasure from helping others was one of the main sources of maintaining workers in their role. This study confirms the findings of Anderson (2000) that burnout is less likely when active coping is engaged.

Interweave Thinkers and Theory

In our literature review, we sometimes want to put resources in conversation with each other. This is an approach we often use when reflecting on themes or patterns in findings. For example, the following excerpt comes from a published literature review "Intersection of race and religion for youth in foster care: Examining policy and practice" by Mary Elizabeth Collins and Judith C. Scott. 

Here, ideas are attributed to the original authors and thinkers who recently discussed these ideas in their scholarship:

Faith communities' role in recruitment of foster and adoptive parents has been particularly noted (e.g., Barbell & Sheikh, 2000). Schatz and Horejsi (1996) noted that religion often is not mentioned during the home study and licensing process of foster parents. 

In writing a literature review we are working to connect our ideas together and contrast different opinions.