Evidence-Based Practice and Information Literacy in Social Work: An Assessment of Students' Reference Lists

Abstract

To date, only a small number of articles have been written about the information literacy needs of social work students. This is a topic that needs to be addressed more among librarians because of the emergence of the evidence-based practice paradigm within the social work profession. Now more than ever, social work students need to know sophisticated techniques for searching and identifying high-quality research. The authors of this paper have attempted to start to address this need by conducting a small citation study in order to assess the information literacy needs of graduate level social work students at Boston College. The results of our study indicated that the students need instruction that emphasizes evidence-based searching skills. These skills include retrieving peer-reviewed articles and identifying research-based sources. We outline recommendations for incorporating evidence-based searching skills in instruction sessions. Kate Silfen, M.A.T., M.A., M.L.S.The library literature available on the information literacy needs of social work students is sparse. The authors of this paper were only able to retrieve a small number of journal articles that address this topic. This gap in the literature is surprising given the emergence of the evidencebased practice paradigm within the social work profession. Evidence-based social work practice requires sophisticated research skills; consequently, librarians have a potentially large role to play in teaching these skills. This research has been conducted to help fill the gap in the literature about the part that librarians can play in promoting evidence-based practice.The definition of evidence-based practice itself indicates that librarians have the potential to play a substantial role in helping students and faculty members develop their skills in this area. Evidence-based practice is defined as the use of "conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence" (Sackett et al. 1994, 1) for the care of patients. Obtaining the best evidence involves the formulation of a searchable question, locating relevant evidence, and critically appraising the literature (Howard et al. 2003). These are tasks that librarians have a long tradition of teaching to students and faculty members.In this paper, we review an assessment of the research skills of graduatelevel social work students who are taking a core course. Our assessment is based on a small study of the students' citations for a required research paper. We report on the results of the study and make recommendations for incorporating evidence-based research skills in future instruction sessions.

How Prepared are Students for Postgraduate Study? A Comparison of the Information Literacy Skills of Commencing Undergraduate and Postgraduate Information Studies Students at Curtin University

“…The few studies which have examined postgraduate students' skill levels have generally concentrated on the extent to which these students are equipped for the special demands of higher degree research (Chu & Law, 2007;Kerins et al, 2004). In addition, there have been in-depth studies of the steps taken by students undertaking a literature review and students' literature reviews have been studied as a means of assessing their information skills (Boote & Beile, 2005;Silfen & Zgoda, 2008).…”

Evaluating One-Shot Library Sessions: Impact on the Quality and Diversity of Student Source Use

“…Do these library instruction sessions have the impact that faculty seek? While the literature shows that the value of library instruction sessions are mixed, and therefore making it hard to draw strong conclusions, there is a body of evidence that shows that library instruction sessions may not be enough to positively impact student use of scholarly materials (Mohler 2005, Silfen and Zgoda 2008, Ursin and Lindsay 2004. The results in this paper also demonstrate that library instruction sessions did not increase the use of scholarly journals.…”

“…These findings have prompted a re-evaluation of library instruction sessions and the content of the guides. A slightly different focus was used in Silfen's and Zgoda's (2008) study of Boston College graduate level social work students. Rather than looking at the variety of sources used for research, Silfen and Zgoda examined the journal citations to assess their quality.…”

Multimodal Composition and Social Justice: Videos as a Tool of Advocacy in Social Work Pedagogy

“…Additionally, video composition also refines one's ability to identify knowledge needs and to assess the veracity of the resources, both of which are information literacy learning outcomes (Association of College & Research Libraries, n.d.). Silfen and Zgoda (2008) suggest that there is important congruence between information literacy learning and the imperative for social workers to cultivate habits of evidence-based practice. Thus, the critical thinking skills that emerge from video composition have immense potential to strengthen social work education.…”