Practitioner's Guide to Using Research for

The latest edition of an essential text to help students and practitioners distinguish between research studies that should and should not influence practice decisions

Now in its third edition, Practitioner's Guide to Using Research for Evidence-Informed Practice delivers an essential and practical guide to integrating research appraisal into evidence-informed practice. The book walks you through the skills, knowledge, and strategies you can use to identify significant strengths and limitations in research.

The ability to appraise the veracity and validity of research will improve your service provision and practice decisions. By teaching you to be a critical consumer of modern research, this book helps you avoid treatments based on fatally flawed research and methodologies.

Practitioner's Guide to Using Research for Evidence-Informed Practice, Third Edition offers:

An extensive introduction to evidence-informed practice, including explorations of unethical research and discussions of social justice in the context of evidence-informed practice.
Explanations of how to appraise studies on intervention efficacy, including the criteria for inferring effectiveness and critically examining experiments.
Discussions of how to critically appraise studies for alternative evidence-informed practice questions, including nonexperimental quantitative studies and qualitative studies.

A comprehensive and authoritative blueprint for critically assessing research studies, interventions, programs, policies, and assessment tools, Practitioner's Guide to Using Research for Evidence-Informed Practice belongs in the bookshelves of students and practitioners of the social sciences.

Allen Rubin, PhD, is the Kantambu Latting College Professorship for Leadership and Change at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. He is the author of several bestselling titles in social work research.

Jennifer Bellamy, PhD, is Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. She teaches research and theory courses at the master's and doctoral levels.

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xxi

About the Authors xxiii

PART I: Overview of Evidence-Informed Practice

Chapter 1 Introduction to Evidence-Informed Practice

Emergence of Evidence-Informed Practice

Defining Evidence-Informed Practice

Types of EIP Questions

Evidence-Informed Practice Regarding Policy And Social Justice

EIP and Black Lives Matter

Developing an Evidence-Informed Practice Process Outlook

What about unethical research?

Key Chapter Concepts

Review Exercises

Additional Readings

Chapter 2 Steps in the EIP Process

Step 1: Question Formulation

Step 2: Evidence Search

Step 3: Critically Appraising Studies and Reviews

Step 4: Selecting and Implementing the Intervention

Step 5: Monitor Client Progress

Feasibility Constraints

Strategies for Overcoming Feasibility Obstacles

But What About the Dodo Bird Verdict?

Key Chapter Concepts

Review Exercises

Additional Readings

Chapter 3 Research Hierarchies: Which Types of Research Are Best for Which Questions?

More Than One Type of Hierarchy for More Than One Type of EIP Question

Qualitative and Quantitative Studies

What Types of Research Designs Apply to What Types of EIP Questions?

Key Chapter Concepts

Review Exercises

Additional Readings

PART II: Critically Appraising Studies for EIP Questions About Intervention Effectiveness

Chapter 4 Criteria for Inferring Effectiveness: How Do We Know What Works? 71

Internal Validity

Inferring the Plausibility of Cauality

Degree of Certainty Needed in Making EIP Decisions

Measurement Issues

Statistical Chance

External Validity

Synopses of Fictitious Research Studies

Key Chapter Concepts

Review Exercises

Exercise for Critically Appraising Published Articles

Additional Readings

Chapter 5 Critically Appraising Experiments 99

Classic Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design 100

Posttest-Only Control Group Design 102

Solomon Four-Group Design 103

Alternative Treatment Designs 104

Dismantling Designs 106

Placebo Control Group Designs 107

Experimental Demand and Experimenter Expectancies 109

Obtrusive Versus Unobtrusive Observation 110

Compensatory Equalization and Compensatory Rivalry 111

Resentful Demoralization 111

Treatment Diffusion 112

Treatment Fidelity 113

Practitioner Equivalence 113

Differential Attrition 115

Synopses of Research Studies 117

Key Chapter Concepts 123

Review Exercises 124

Exercise for Critically Appraising Published Articles 125

Additional Readings 125

Chapter 6 Critically Appraising Quasi-Experiments: Nonequivalent Comparison Groups Designs 126

Nonequivalent Comparison Groups Designs 127

Additional Logical Arrangements to Control for Potential Selectivity Biases 130

Statistical Controls for Potential Selectivity Biases 134

Propensity Score Matching Using a Policy Example 144

Pilot Studies 145

Synopses of Research Studies 147

Key Chapter Concepts 152

Review Exercises 153

Exercise for Critically Appraising Published Articles 153

Additional Readings 154

Chapter 7 Critically Appraising Quasi-Experiments: Time-Series Designs and Single-Case Designs 155

Simple Time-Series Designs 156

Multiple Time-Series Designs 159

Single-Case Designs 161

Synopses of Research Studies 168

Key Chapter Concepts 174

Review Exercises 175

Exercise for Critically Appraising Published Articles 176

Additional Reading 176

Chapter 8 Critically Appraising Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 177

Advantages of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 179

Risks in Relying Exclusively on Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 180

Where to Start 181

What to Look for When Critically Appraising Systematic Reviews 182

What Distinguishes a Systematic Review From Other Types of Reviews? 190

What to Look for When Critically Appraising Meta-Analyses 191

Synopses of Research Studies 205

Key Chapter Concepts 209

Review Exercises 211

Exercise for Critically Appraising Published Articles 212

Additional Readings 212

PART III: Critically Appraising Studies for Alternative EIP Questions

Chapter 9 Critically Appraising Nonexperimental Quantitative Studies 215

Surveys 216

Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Studies 228

Case-Control Studies 229

Synopses of Research Studies 231

Key Chapter Concepts 240

Review Exercises 242

Exercise for Critically Appraising Published Articles 242

Additional Readings 242

Chapter 10 Critically Appraising Qualitative Studies 243

Qualitative Observation 245

Qualitative Interviewing 247

Qualitative Sampling 250

Grounded Theory 252

Frameworks for Appraising Qualitative Studies 252

Mixed Model and Mixed Methods Studies 257

Synopses of Research Studies 258

Key Chapter Concepts 266 Review Exercises 271

Exercise for Critically Appraising Published Articles 272

Additional Readings 272

PART IV: Assessment and Monitoring in Evidence-Informed Practice

Chapter 11 Critically Appraising, Selecting, and Constructing Assessment Instruments 275

Reliability 276

Validity 280

Sensitivity 285

Feasibility 287

Sample Characteristics 288

Locating Assessment Instruments

Constructing Assessment Instruments

Synopses of Research Studies 291

Key Chapter Concepts 296

Review Exercises 297

Exercise for Critically Appraising Published Articles 298

Additional Readings 298

Chapter 12 Monitoring Client Progress 299

A Practitioner-Friendly Single-Case Design

Feasible Assessment Techniques

Using Within-Group Effect Size Benchmarks

Key Chapter Concepts 318

Review Exercises 319

Additional Readings 319

PART V: Additional Aspects of Evidence-Informed Practice

Chapter 13 Appraising and Conducting Data Analyses in Evidence-Informed Practice

Introduction

Ruling Out Statistical Chance

What Else Do You Nered To Know?

Calculating Within-Group Effect Sizes and Using Benchmarks

Conclusion

Key Chapter Concepts

Review Exercises

Additional Readings

Chapter 14 Critically Appraising Social Justice Research Studies

Introduction

Evidence-Informed Social Action

What Type of Evidence?

Participatory Action Research

Illustrations OF Other Types of Social Justice Research

Conclusion

Key Chapter Concepts

Review Exercises

Additional Readings

Glossary 335

References 345

Index 351

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Practitioner's Guide to Using Research for Evidence-Informed Practice

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials