Abstract
To best understand why one approach is more effective with some groups than others, determine the appropriateness of policies, question new methods for practice, and explain differences in programme outcomes, social workers must be able to both identify and synthesize relevant evidence to inform decisions. Systematic literature searching, therefore, is an essential skill for both social work research and practice to develop comprehensive insight into the topic, challenge or question raised. Across all fields of practice, research continues to grow and time remains a constrained resource, whereby remaining up to date with emerging knowledge is a common challenge faced by social workers. A clear, purposeful literature search strategy, however, provides efficiency and structure for a systematic approach. This entry covers practical techniques that can be used to enhance both the precision of search results and comprehensive coverage to support in-depth evaluation and analysis of literature for social work research and practice.