Social Work and Society aims to contribute to the visibility and progress of research in social work. According to the mission statement, the objective of the Research Notes section is to provide an international forum for exchange and debate on

• Issues, strategies and methods of research in the field of social work and social policy

• Experiences in the use of research methods, research perspectives and research strategies

• Tensions and dilemmas of research in the field of social work and social policy, such as
  
  - tensions that may raise from a mixed commitment of the researcher to social service users, social work practitioners, social work academia, research funders and policymakers;
  
  - tensions between basic inquiry and applied research, between theory building and the objective to improve programmes, policies and practice;
  
  - other dilemmas, such as the unintended use of research outcomes

• Strategies to theorize social work practice

• Strategies to improve social service delivery and social work practice by research and evaluation

We invite you to submit reports and research projects -- current or completed -- for discussion, on such topics as:

• - Social problems and social structures, inequality, poverty, social exclusion

• - Social policies, their practical meanings and their consequences

• - The professions in the field of social work and social services, professional practice and knowledge, methods of social work, etc.

• - Social work education

• - The embeddedness of social work practice in its political framework, as well as its institutional and organisational context

• - The relationship between service users, professionals and the wider organisational/institutional context

• - Service user organizations and user movements

• - The outcome of social services and social work practice

Research Notes in this section may appear in two forms:

(1) A Research Report (400-1000 words)

A research note should include concise information on: the researcher/s, the hosting university / department / research institute; the character of the research, (e.g. research project, doctoral thesis, etc,); the time frame, resources and funders; the field of research, issues and research questions; the strategies and methods of data collection and data analysis; (interim) results, outcome and open questions.

(2) A Research Article (1000-3000 words)

A research article presents an in-depth discussion of current questions and challenges in research (such as those listed above) or presents innovative approaches and methods. It is not designed to present the findings of research.

Research notes should be addressed to:

For Africa, Asia and Europe:
Prof. Dr. Stefan Schnurr
Institute of Education and Social Work
Faculty of Philosophy
University of Rostock
August-Bebel-Str. 28
D-18051 Rostock
Contact: Submit-form
Telephone: +49 [0]381 - 498.2686
Fax: +49 [0]381 - 498 26 94

For Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific:
Dr Catherine McDonald
School of Social Work and Social Policy
University of Queensland
Brisbane Qld Australia 4072
Contact: Submit-form
Telephone: +61 7 3365 3342
Fax: +61 7 3365 1788

For the Americas:
Dr. Michael Reisch
President, Children Now
1212 Broadway, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Contact: Submit-form
Telephone: +1 510.763.2444
Fax: +1 510.763.1974

When submitting a research note, please use the "Guidelines for Authors" found on the main page of Social Work and Society for quotation and reference format.