UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: Social Work 795: Evaluation of Social Work Practice and Programs: Find Evidence-Based Interventions

Writing Your Literature Review

Guiding Questions

Before you begin this module, reflect on these three questions:

What is the purpose of my literature review?
How will this literature review help me accomplish my goals?
What are the steps in writing a literature review?

Subject of Inquiry Concept Map - text only
Access the text-only version of the concept map displayed below.

Databases use controlled vocabularies to describe articles. Controlled vocabularies prioritize certain ways of describing information, making it easier to organize and find that information. However, the subject terms used by databases may not be the first terms that come to mind when you brainstorm on your subject of inquiry. Use your search results to learn how a database describes your topic.

Databases for EBP in Social Work

PubMed
Over 30 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, open access journals (PMC), and online books and reference sources (Bookshelf). Useful For: systematic reviews, clinical trials, Trending Articles, Cited By
CINAHL Plus with Full Text
CINAHL Plus with Full Text provides indexing for over 3,000 journals from the fields of nursing and allied health, with indexing back to 1937. CINAHL Plus with Full Text also contains searchable cited references for more than 1,155 journals and provides full text for hundreds of journals, plus legal cases, clinical innovations, critical paths, drug records, research instruments and clinical trials. Useful For: systematic reviews, clinical trials
PsycINFO (APA)
PsycINFO is the core database for searching academic, research, and practice literature in psychology. Search the database for citations and summaries of psychology literature published in journals, books and dissertations. Also search here for psychological aspects of related fields such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, law and others. It includes over one million citations and summaries. 98% of the materials included here are peer reviewed.
Cochrane Library
The Cochrane Library is a regularly updated collection of evidence-based medicine databases that brings together relevant research on the effectiveness of healthcare treatments and interventions. Cochrane Reviews are considered the gold standard for systematic reviews. Cochrane also contains a database for controlled trails (CENTRAL). Cochrane's Clinical Answers can be used to inform healthcare decision-making for hundreds of medical conditions, plus related topics such as injury prevention. Useful For: systematic reviews, controlled trials, Clinical Answers
Web of Science
Web of Science includes citations from the Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, BIOSIS Citation Index, Zoological Record, Current Contents Connect, Data Citation Index, and the Derwent Innovation Index. Our Web of Science subscription includes articles published from 1987 to the present; updated weekly. Useful For: systematic reviews, Highly Cited papers, citation metrics
ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov provides patients, family members, health care professionals, and members of the public easy access to regularly updated information on thousands of federally and privately supported clinical trials for a wide range of diseases and conditions. The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its National Library of Medicine (NLM), has developed this site in collaboration with all NIH Institutes and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Registries for Evidence-Based Programs

Registries are lists of evidenced-based programs. You may find EBP on a variety of topics in the Cochrane Library or Cambpell Collaboration, but there isn't a single registry to search all programs. You are more likely to find registries related to a specific topic. You can find additional registers by using Google to search for evidence based practice registries + your topic.

Campbell Collaboration
Register evidence synthesis reviews for the social sciences.
SAMHSA Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center
SAMHSA is committed to improving prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for mental and substance use disorders. The Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center provides communities, clinicians, policy-makers and others with the information and tools to incorporate evidence-based practices into their communities or clinical settings.
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse (CEBC) for Child Welfare
The goal of the CEBC Program Registry is to provide a searchable database of programs that can be utilized by professionals that serve children and families involved with the child welfare system.
Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse
The Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse was established by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct an objective and transparent review of research on programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements. The Prevention Services Clearinghouse, developed in accordance with the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) as codified in Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, rates programs and services as well-supported, supported, promising, or does not currently meet criteria.
CrimeSolutions - National Institute of Justice
CrimeSolutions is intended to be a central, reliable resource to help practitioners and policymakers understand what works in justice-related programs and practices. Its purpose is to assist in practical decision making and program implementation by gathering information on specific justice-related programs and practices and reviewing the existing evaluation and meta-analysis research against standard criteria.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review
Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has sponsored an independent systematic review of the teen pregnancy prevention literature to identify programs with evidence of effectiveness in reducing teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and associated sexual risk behaviors.
Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness
The Department of Health and Human Services launched the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE) review to conduct a thorough and transparent review of early childhood home visiting models. HomVEE provides an assessment of the evidence of effectiveness for early childhood home visiting models that serve families with pregnant people and children from birth to kindergarten entry (that is, up through age 5).
Continuum of Evidence
The Clearinghouse serves as a resource for professionals who work with military individuals and families by providing its Continuum of Evidence (Continuum). The Continuum is a repository of programs that have been reviewed by Clearinghouse research and evaluation scientists. Programs are placed on the Continuum with descriptions to help individuals who serve military families make informed decisions regarding how to best serve these unique and valuable families.
Best Practices Registry - Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Every listing you’ll find in the Best Practices Registry (BPR) has been reviewed by our experts to ensure they align with the most current guidance on preventing suicide. Every listing has demonstrated effectiveness in preventing suicide or directly addresses the factors that impact suicide prevention.
Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development
The Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development mission is to provide a comprehensive registry of scientifically proven and scalable interventions that prevent or reduce the likelihood of antisocial behavior and promote a healthy course of youth development and adult maturity. We also advocate for evidence-based interventions locally and nationally and produce publications on the importance of adopting high-scientific standards when evaluating what works in social and crime prevention interventions.
Social Programs that Work
Programs with credible evidence from well-conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of important effects on people’s lives
National Council on Aging
Evidence-based programs offer proven ways to promote health and prevent disease among older adults. Use this tool to search for evidence-based programs that match your community's needs and are approved for funding through Older Americans Act Title III-D. The programs included are not exhaustive and represent those that have been approved through the Evidence-Based Program Review Process.
EBP Interventions - University of Buffalo
On this page you will find a select number of evidence-based practices. Expand each section to learn about specific treatment programs. Treatments are grouped by the diagnoses they are most often used to treat, but many can be used for multiple diagnoses.