Finding and Using Sources as a Working Social Worker: What is a source?

Learn how to find open access and proprietary sources as a Columbia School of Social Work graduate.

Sources in Social Work

A source is simply the vehicle through which a piece of information or knowledge comes to you. This can mean an academic paper, a newspaper article, a conversation with a client or peer, a social media post, or any number of other means of delivering information. See the boxes below for a discussion of different types of sources and the next tab in this guide ("Where to find sources") for ideas on how to locate sources.

Why are sources important in social work? According to the National Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics: Ethical Standards, social workers should "critically examine and keep current with emerging knowledge relevant to social work" and "routinely review the professional literature and participate in continuing education relevant to social work practice and social work ethics" (4.01b). This speaks to why social workers seek out academic sources.

The NASW Ethical Standards also state that "Social workers should demonstrate awareness and cultural humility by engaging in critical self-reflection (understanding their own bias and engaging in self-correction), recognizing clients as experts of their own culture, committing to lifelong learning, and holding institutions accountable for advancing cultural humility" (1.05c). This responsibility to clients suggests that sources beyond academic sources may be needed to engage in a responsible social work practice.

Guiding Questions

  • What types of sources do you use or anticipate using in your practice?
  • How might academic or scientific sources both reinforce and mitigate bias in social work practice?
  • How else does the practice of seeking and evaluating sources relate to the NASW Code of Ethics?

“Being informed about different kinds of research and their advantages and disadvantages, including biases that result in misleading results, will help you to draw on practice- and policy-related research in an informed manner” (Grambill, 2005).

Sources can combat the social worker’s implicit biases or internally held stereotypes of a user or client. Using primary sources as opposed to secondary sources can help combat the stereotyping of clients. Likewise, we must challenge ourselves while looking for sources to think about who counts as a reputable source. Reputable sources are often interrogated using Western knowledge ideals (e.g., academia, government, business, etc.) (Watkins, 2017). However, as social workers, we must think about how we interrogate our choice of sources and building our knowledge base in regard to clients, their background, and the holistic treatment plans we wish to create.

Types of sources visual