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While social work research in Australia is in reasonable shape, it requires a strong research culture promoting rigorous research to enhance its credibility and influence on social policy discourses. This study explored proposals to advance social work research, based on interviews with 20 experienced Australian social work researchers. Strategies identified include improving research culture and training, the development of research infrastructure to promote and stimulate research, and forming new partnerships both among researchers and between researchers and research end-users. Growing and strengthening the research foundations of the discipline is essential to its future relevance. IMPLICATIONS The Australian social work community would benefit from a more deliberate and strategic approach to increasing the quality and quantity of research to inform practice and policy. Opportunities for social work researchers to connect with each other to disseminate, discuss, and plan research could provide a hub for increasing research development and research collaboration. The responsibility and capacity to lead research development and advocate for social work research is shared between the academy, the human services sector, and representative professional associations. The Australian social work community would benefit from a more deliberate and strategic approach to increasing the quality and quantity of research to inform practice and policy.Opportunities for social work researchers to connect with each other to disseminate, discuss, and plan research could provide a hub for increasing research development and research collaboration.The responsibility and capacity to lead research development and advocate for social work research is shared between the academy, the human services sector, and representative professional associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on some of ethical issues that the journal has experienced in 2014 as well as its policy in relation to blind peer reviewing. Topics discussed include the concept of and the problems arising form salami slicing, the practice of extracting several publications from a single study, the concept of text recycling, the use of material published in one paper in a different paper, and the pros and cons of single- and double-blind peer reviewing.

Understanding the scholarly impact of social work research can inform strategies to strengthen the profession's research foundations. This study examined research productivity and academic impact using h-indexes for a sample of 112 Australian social work researchers according to the stage of their career. Annual research output was calculated using Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) data. The average h-index for all social work researchers in the sample was 6.39 (Scopus) and 12.5 (Google Scholar). Web of Science was not used due to the number of inaccurate researcher profiles. One hundred and thirty-nine publications received 100 or more citations, but there were many never-cited publications. A social work benchmark for the number of publications is around 1.4 publications per year, depending upon a person's stage of career and workload profile. Citation analysis can supplement peer review in evaluating research quality, but there are disciplinary differences in publication and citation practices, so it is useful to know where social work is positioned. IMPLICATIONS Citation analysis is used to assess research productivity and quality alongside qualitative assessment, such as peer review. It is imperative for researchers to check, correct, and claim Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science records, and to link these to their ORCID profile. A citation benchmark for social work would be in the range of h-index 3.2 for early-career researchers to 15.8 for research-focused positions (Scopus) or h-index 6.1–25.0 (Google Scholar). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantity and quality of social work research is central to creating knowledge for the profession and maintaining social work's presence and status in universities. This study examines Australian Research Council grants awarded for social work projects for the 10-year period 2008–2107. It investigates the quantum of grants and the topics addressed, and compares social work to related social sciences. The field of social work was awarded 84 research grants over the 10-year period, a total of $23 million and an average of 8.4 grants per year. However, this did not match the grant successes of the two comparator fields of criminology and social policy and administration. Having a clear picture of research achievements, including grants, is necessary to enable the discipline to plot a strategic way forward, addressing gaps and deficits, and building on strengths. IMPLICATIONS Increasing research grant success is vital to the ongoing development of the social work knowledge base, and bolsters the standing of social work in universities. Maximising the use of social work Field of Research codes will increase the visibility of social work research, especially in multidisciplinary projects. Social work researchers should publicise competitive grant successes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although in Australia disability is receiving unprecedented attention with the rollout of major reforms, the body of research on disability to inform policy and practice has been found “not fit for purpose”. This scoping review of empirical research papers published by Australian social work authors between 2007 and 2015 investigated the quantity, nature, and scope of social work research on disability in Australia. We found a steady growth, an annual average of 13.8 papers, and a total of 124. Social work disability research makes a distinctive contribution; it is contextualised in service systems or policy, has a greater focus on community and civic participation and social relationships, and concentrates on adults, with either intellectual disability or traumatic brain injury. These research strengths provide foundations for building the profession’s research capacity and informing its practice and contribution to the multidisciplinary field of disability. IMPLICATIONS Service system reform is increasing engagement of social workers with people with disabilities, yet disability has a low profile in the profession.Social work disability research has strengths in understanding service systems, social relationships, and strategies for social and civic participation, particularly with adults with cognitive disabilities.Increased attention to disability in qualifying and higher degree programs will better prepare students for complex practice and develop the distinctive contribution of social work research in this interdisciplinary field. 在澳大利亚，随着一些重要改革的出台，残障者受到前所未有的关注。但用以参谋政策、咨询实践而针对残障者身体的研究却“并不如人意”。本文根据澳大利亚社会工作者发表于2007至2015年的实证性文章，对社会工作之研究残障问题的数量、性质和范围做了分析。分析发现，研究数量有稳步增长；每年约13.8篇；总数为124篇。社会工作对残障的研究贡献十分明显；它与政策服务体系结合紧密，偏重于社区和公民参与及社会关系，焦点在或智障或大脑创伤的成年人。这些研究上的优长为营建该行业的研究能力、参谋实践、贡献残障多学科事业打下了基础。 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]