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Social Work Research Topics & Tips on Finding and Distinguishing Good Ones

Updated 01 Jul 2024

Social work research is the systematic investigation of problems pertaining to the social work field. Alternatively, it can be defined as the application of research methods for addressing/solving problems confronted by social workers in their practice.

Major research areas include studying concepts, theories, principles, underlying methods, employees’ skills and their interaction with individuals and groups as well as internal processes, functioning principles within social entities. For a more specific selection of social work research topics, go to the appropriate section within this article.

Social work is ultimately focused on practical application, hence, the ultimate goal of social work research is understanding the efficacy of various intervention methods aimed at alleviating the conditions of people suffering from social deprivation – this highlights the importance presented by both the field and its associated research. For such difficult topics, you may ask yourself "can I pay someone to write my research paper " - and our professional team is here to help you.

Signs of Good Research Topics

Of all social work research questions, how could one distinguish the ones holding the greatest value or potential? Considering these signs could increase the chances of picking higher quality or more productive social work topics:

Chosen topics are backed up by one or more published studies by research teams from the US or from abroad with solid article-related citation metrics, typically published in prestigious peer-reviewed academic journals (journals with high impact factor).
Social work research topics in question are related to practice – theoretical research is very important, but nothing beats practical knowledge and efficient practical intervention methods and strategies. However, this aspect might depend on other circumstances as well (for students, for instance, theoretical topics are fairly acceptable). To ensure a successful research proposal in the field of social work, consider utilizing research proposal writing services .
Social work research topics are breaking certain stereotypes. People are inclined towards topics that break preconceived notions – such topics naturally receive greater attention. If they bring solid evidence and reasonable arguments while providing/promising real benefits, such topics can simply revolutionize the field.
Chosen social work research topics match current trends. Don’t understand us wrong – not everything that is trendy deserves attention (many things are overhyped). However, trends do have a sound reason for emerging (there is normally value behind the forces driving them). Moreover, delving into a field/topic that has only been recently established often gives significant advantages (career-wise). So watch out for trends in your research field closely, but always scrutinize them for what they are worth.

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Where Can You Find Perfect Topics?

When exploring education research topics or searching for social worker research topics, it might prove useful to follow a few proven strategies (which are equally valid for many other occasions):

Skim through your study literature (e.g. handbooks, course notes) – this is material you already studied, but going through it might help you to systematically visualize all studied topics or subtopics (these can suggest new ideas).
Brainstorming. Access your knowledge base – chances are you have a few interesting topics stored in mind that you’d like to explore in greater detail.
Browse through published article titles in social work journals or, even better, study newsletters/highlights on journal websites. Alternatively, one could search on platforms aggregating field-related news from multiple journals.– while some articles/topics might be overly complicated or specific, these still offer an immense choice.
Browse online for ready research topics for a custom research paper from our research paper writing service – skimming through such lists would bombard you with topics of appropriate complexity and scope /broadness or would inspire new related ideas (e.g. by combining elements from different topics).

Yet another way to pick a good topic is to get research paper writing help from our professional writers – they would manage all aspects, including that of choosing an original and solid topic (obviously, you might be willing to confirm it, before proceeding with your writing project).

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Connect with our top writers and receive a paper sample on social work crafted to your needs.

100 Social Work Research Topics

Below is a comprehensive social work research topics list to help get you started with your project.

50 Controversial Research Topics

Group therapy vs individual therapy for increasing autistic children adaptability
Impact on parents having children with autism spectrum disorder.
Role play vs group discussion efficiency in increasing knowledge regarding drug abuse among high-school students.
Addressing the stigma associated with depression.
Measures to counteract condemning stereotypes with regard to depression (explaining and highlighting the biological mechanisms underlying it)
Identifying individuals with suicide predisposition serving in military units.
Life events role in PTSD onset in veterans.
Strategies to prevent PTSD onset in US army veterans.
Social inclusion measures for war veterans.
Most efficient strategies for suicide prevention in academic setting.
Categories are most vulnerable to drug abuse.
Most efficient educational measures to prevent future drug abuse in children
Myths about substance abuse among adolescents.
Family support importance for alcohol addicts rehabilitation.
Workaholics – new type of addicts. Impact on personal and family lives.
Mental retardation in Alzheimer’s disease – how to cope with it as a family member?
Promoting integration for children with Down syndrome.
General considerations for working with children with developmental disabilities.
Educating society with regard to dyslexic children (all target groups could be considered: parents, classmates, teachers, etc.)
Dyslexia cases combined with ADHD – how to approach it?
Dismounting common myths about dyslexia.
Counteracting bullying aimed at dyslexic children.
Early intervention benefits to address language difficulties in case of dyslexic children.
What role should educators, parents, schools, mental health centers, private practice have in addressing dyslexia?
Key prerequisites for building resilience to adverse life events in children
Strategies for building resilience in welfare workers.
Who is responsible for developing resilience in social workers?
Self-help guidelines for social workers to become resilient.
Most common problems encountered by LGBT youth in US schools.
Arming LGBT individuals with coping strategies to face discrimination.
The situation with juvenile delinquents across various US states.
Rationale behind separating juvenile delinquents from adult delinquents.
Factors contributing to high youth incarceration rate in certain US states (Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota).
Most efficient reeducation strategies for juvenile delinquents.
Society inclusion measures for people that served in prison.
Coping with the stigma of having served in prison.
Attitudes of welfare workers towards incarcerated individuals.
Attitudes of correctional officers towards mental health of incarcerated individuals.
Gender differences relevance when working with incarcerated people.
Factors increasing the risk of recidivism in released prisoners.
Incarceration impacts on parent-child relationships.
Incarceration effects on mental health.
Social inclusion role and family support in preventing recidivism by former prisoners.
Circumstances associated with the highest risk of becoming a human trafficking victim.
Ethical rules important when working with human trafficking victims.
Trauma characteristic depiction for human trafficking victims.
What is considered neglecting a child in child welfare?
Prerequisites of a safe childhood and a functional family.
Dealing with child abuse in orphanages.
Types of child maltreatment/abuse.

50 Hot Research Topics for Social Work Students

Difference in approaching children vs adolescents suffering from domestic violence.
Success stories in preventing child abuse in certain regions/states.
Strategies to encourage women to report domestic violence cases.
Damage to families with ongoing domestic violence.
Healing steps for victims of domestic violence.
Effects of child neglect on later academic performance and career.
Removing a child from a setting – when is it justified?
Guidelines on providing testimony in court as a social worker
Peculiarities of social work in health care assistance.
Grief counseling for families that lost a loved one.
Understanding the symptoms of grief.
Risk factors for dangerous grief.
Conduct/communication rules with persons in grief.
Types of elder abuse. Which are the most common ones?
Predictors of elder abuse (related to relationships within families, financial, status).
The integrative concept of human services.
The utility of mentoring programs in social care.
Work with elders experiencing cognitive impairment.
Peculiarities of working with immigrants in social care.
Considerations for working with HIV positive people.
Social research topics about homeless people.
Primary factors contributing to homelessness.
Challenges faced by social care assistants in working with sexually exploited clients belonging to the opposite gender.
Meeting unique needs of sexually exploited children.
Compassion fatigue experienced by welfare worker.
Challenges experienced by single parents and support strategies
Problem of getting medical help when belonging to vulnerable categories
Is there place for spirituality in welfare worker?
Religious beliefs obstructing welfare worker.
Support strategies for low-income families having children with impaired development.
Retrospective views and youth opinions on foster care facilities they have gone through.
Key wishes/demands expressed by foster care facility residents
Strategies employed by welfare worker to avoid burnout.
Importance of building emotional intelligence as welfare worker.
Discussing sexual health with mentally ill or retarded clients.
Spirituality and faith as an essential element in many addiction rehabilitation programs.
Attitude towards older people among welfare workers.
Factors responsible for reluctance to benefit from mental health services among certain population groups.
Differences in working with adolescent and adult drug abusers.
Factors affecting foster youth that impact their higher education retention rate.
Language barrier as an obstructing factor for minorities in benefiting from mental health services.
Cultural competence as social work research topic
Pre and post birth assistance to surrogate mothers. Evaluating impact on mental health.
Challenges and issues arising in families with adoptive children.
Play therapy interventions effectiveness in school-based counseling.
Mental health in hemodialysis patients and corresponding support strategies.
Importance presented by recreational activities for patients with Alzheimer’s.
Intimacy impact on the outcome of group therapy practices for alcohol addiction.
Mental health care outcomes in pedophilia victims.
Alternative practices in social work.

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Found Topic But No Time For Writing?

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Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Theses and dissertations published by graduate students in the Department of Counseling and Human Services, College of Education, Old Dominion University, since Fall 2016 are available in this collection. Backfiles of all dissertations (and some theses) have also been added.

In late Fall 2023 or Spring 2024, all theses will be digitized and available here. In the meantime, consult the Library Catalog to find older items in print.

Theses/Dissertations from 2024 2024

Dissertation: The Lived Experiences of Counselors-in-Training Completing Practicum and Internship During COVID-19 , Shelby Lauren Dillingham

Dissertation: Climbing the Academic Ladder While Black: Exploring the Experiences of Institutional Belongingness for Black Counselor Education and Supervision Doctoral Students at Predominantly White Institutions , Jasmine Alicia Hawa Griffith

Dissertation: Understanding the Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Resilience in Police Officers , Wayne F. Handley

Thesis: The Experiences of Multilingual Learning-Focused School Counselors: A Phenomenological Investigation , Chelsea Jo Hilliard

Dissertation: Partners in Crisis: A Phenomenological Exploration of Collaboration Between Crisis Intervention Team Officers and Mental Health Professionals , Jessica L. Huffman

Dissertation: Exploring the Experiences of School Counselors Advocating for Social Justice Within Urban PK-12 Charter Schools , Betsy Marina Perez

Dissertation: Supervision Needs of Novice Behavioral Health Providers in Integrated Primary Care Settings: A Delphi Study , Nicholas D. Schmoyer

Dissertation: Wellness as a Predictor of Turnover Intention in the Active Duty Military , Thomas Clifford Seguin

Dissertation: Consensus on Best Practices in Neuroscience-Informed Treatment of Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress in Military Veterans: A Delphi Study of Experts in the Field of Mental Health , Danielle Lauren Winters

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Dissertation: Providing Family Centered Care Within Pediatric Integrated Care Settings , Emily D. Bebber

Dissertation: The Lived Experiences of 911 Dispatchers With Compassion Fatigue: An Interpretive Phenomenology , Angela Johnson

Dissertation: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Self-Identified Politically Conservative Students in Graduate Counseling Programs in Public Universities , Elizabeth A. Orrison

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Dissertation: Mental Health Counselors’ Perceptions of Professional Identity as Correctional Counselors in an Integrated Behavioral Health Care Setting , Jeanel L. Franklin

Dissertation: Complex Thought for Complex Work: Preparing Cognitively Complex Counselors for Work in Diverse Settings , Alexandra C. Gantt

Dissertation: Trauma and Crisis Counselor Preparation: The Relationship of an Online Trauma and Crisis Course and Counseling Self-Efficacy , Julia Leigh Lancaster

Dissertation: An Investigation of Healthcare Professionals’ Perspectives on the Tasks of Mental Health Counselors in Hospital Settings , Suelle Micallef Marmara

Dissertation: Broaching Race and Race-Related Issues: Phenomenological Inquiry of Doctoral Student Supervisors of Counselor Trainees , Judith Wambui Preston

Dissertation: A Phenomenological Investigation of School Counselor Antiracist Social Justice Practices , Stephanie Deonca Smith-Durkin

Dissertation: Counselor Perceived Competence Diagnosing Disorders from DSM-5 Diagnostic Categories Survey Results and the Development and Validation of Scores on the Diagnostic Self-Efficacy Scale , Erin Elizabeth Woods

Dissertation: The Experiences of School Counselors Providing Virtual Services During Covid-19: A Phenomenological Investigation , Allison Kathryn Worth

Dissertation: A Comparison of Sorority Women and Non-Sorority Women’s Alcohol Use: Perception, Rate of Use, and Consequences , Betsy Zimmerman

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Dissertation: Effectiveness of College Counseling Interventions in International Student Adjustment to United States Higher Education Systems: A Meta-Analysis , Joshua Ebby Abraham

Dissertation: What Are We Missing?: A Comparison of Experiences of Race-Based Trauma by Black Americans and Black Jamaicans , Bianca R. Augustine

Dissertation: Site Supervisors' Perspectives on Supervision of Counselor Trainees in Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Settings: A Q Methodology Approach , Yeşim Giresunlu

Dissertation: The Impact of a Crisis Intervention Team Program on Psychiatric Boarding , Kurtis Hooks

Dissertation: A Case Study on the Application and Implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports for Students with Emotional Disabilities in Alternative Education , Kira Candelieri Marcari

Dissertation: Initial Development of the Escala de Fortaleza en Jóvenes para Padres , David Moran

Dissertation: Incivility of Coworker Behaviors and Minority Firefighters’ Belongingness in the Workplace , Alyssa Reiter

Dissertation: A Meta-Analysis of Three Years of Data on Outcomes of Therapy Groups for Inmates in the Virginia Department of Corrections , Abie Carroll Tremblay

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Dissertation: Improving Veterans’ Psychological Well-Being with a Positive Psychology Gratitude Exercise , Clara Im Adkins

Dissertation: An Examination of the Relationship Among Social Services Support, Race, Ethnicity and Recidivism in Justice Involved Mothers , Ne’Shaun Janay Borden

Dissertation: Development and Validation of the Students With Learning Disabilities School Counselor Self- Efficacy Scale: A Psychometric Study , Rawn Alfredo Boulden, Jr.

Dissertation: Minority Counselor Multicultural Competence in the Current Sociopolitical Climate , Kathleen Brown

Dissertation: A Meta-Analysis of Group Treatment Outcomes for Veterans with Substance Use Disorders , Robert “Tony” Dice

Dissertation: Investigating the Impact of the FAVA Well-Being Protocol on Perceived Stress and Psychological Well-Being With At-Promise High School Students , Renee L. Fensom

Dissertation: Mental Health Counselors' Perceptions on Preparedness in Integrated Behavioral Healthcare in Underserved Areas , Kyulee Park

Dissertation: Group Treatment Effectiveness for Substance Use Disorders: Abstinence vs. Harm Reduction , Jill D. Parramore

Dissertation: Best Practices in Clinical Supervision: What Must Supervisees Do? , Johana Rocha

Dissertation: A Phenomenological Investigation of Counselors’ Experiences With Clients Affected by Problematic Internet Pornography Use , Kendall R. Sparks

Dissertation: Counselor Education Doctoral Students’ Research Self-Efficacy: A Concept Mapping Approach , Zahide Sunal

Dissertation: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Psychoeducational Groups for the Treatment of Psychopathology Resulting from Child Sexual Abuse , Alexis Lynnette Wilkerson

Dissertation: School Counseling Professionals’ Experiences Using ASCA’s Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success to Achieve College and Career Readiness , George Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Dissertation: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Career Oriented Military Spouses Pursuing Education for Career Advancement , Melody D. Agbisit

Dissertation: Reshaping Counselor Education: The Identification of Influential Factors on Multisystemic Therapy , T'Airra C. Belcher

Dissertation: An Investigation of Posttraumatic Growth Experienced By Parents After a Miscarriage , Barbara Elizabeth Powell Boyd

Dissertation: The Psychometric Properties of the School Counseling Internship Competency Scale , Melanie Ann Burgess

Dissertation: Intersectional Identities and Microaggressions: The Experience of Transgender Females , Cory Daniel Gerwe

Dissertation: Comparing Higher Order Value Differences By Religious and Spiritual Association and Implications for Counseling: An Exploratory Study , Gregory C. Lemich

Dissertation: The Effects of Supervisory Style and Supervisory Working Alliance on Supervisee Disclosure in Supervision: A Moderated Mediation Analysis , Chi Li

Dissertation: A Comparison of College Student-Athletes With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Nonathletes With ADHD: Academic Adjustment, Severity of Mental Health Concerns, and Complexity of Life Concerns , Sonja Lund

Dissertation: An Experimental Study of Research Self-Efficacy In Master’s Students , Nicola Aelish Meade

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Dissertation: Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Family Adjustment Measure with Lower-Income, Ethnic Minority Parents of Children with Disabilities , Vanessa Nicole Dominguez-O'Hare

Dissertation: Risk and Resiliency Factors Affecting the College Adjustment of Students with Intersectional Ethnocultural Minority and LGBTQ Identities , Stacey Christina Fernandes

Dissertation: The Relationship Between Childhood Adversity and Adult Relationship Health for Economically Marginalized, Racially and Ethnically Diverse Individuals , Sandy-Ann M. Griffith

Dissertation: An Exploration of Practicum Students' Experiences of Meaning-Making Through Altruism , Debra Paige Lewis

Dissertation: Addiction Counselors' Perceptions of Clinical Supervision Practices , Marla Harrison Newby

Dissertation: Exploring the Variant Experiences Through Which Racial/Ethnic Minorities Select Art Therapy as a Career , Mary Ritchie Roberts

Dissertation: Psychosocial Determinants of Medication Adherence among HIV-Positive Individuals in Mexico City , Anthony Vajda

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Dissertation: Cross-Racial Trust Factors: Exploring the Experiences of Blacks Who Have Had White Mentors in the Counseling Profession , Eric Montrece Brown

Dissertation: Personality, Motivation, and Internet Gaming Disorder: Understanding the Addiction , Kristy L. Carlisle

Dissertation: The Relationship Between Trauma Exposure and College Student Adjustment: Factors of Resilience as a Mediator , Amber Leih Jolley

Dissertation: Establishing the Psychometric Properties of the Understanding Mental Health Scale: A Dissertation Study , Michael Thomas Kalkbrenner

Dissertation: Attitudes and Actions that Adoptive Parents Perceive as Helpful in the Process of Raising Their Internationally Adopted Adolescent , Marina V. Kuzmina

Dissertation: Towards a New Profession: Counselor Professional Identity in Italy. A Delphi Study , Davide Mariotti

Dissertation: Exploring the Relationship Between Depression and Resilience in Survivors of Childhood Trauma , Marquis A. Norton

Dissertation: Understanding the Experiences of Women with Anorexia Nervosa Who Complete an Exposure Therapy Protocol in a Naturalistic Setting , Gina B. Polychronopoulos

Dissertation: An Exploratory Factor Analysis Examining Experiences and Perceptions of Campus Safety for International Students , Sonia H. Ramrakhiani

Dissertation: The Role of Self-Care and Hardiness in Moderating Burnout in Mental Health Counselors , Traci Danielle Richards

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Dissertation: Examining Changes in College Counseling Clients’ Symptomology and Severity over an Eight Year Span , Caroline Lee Bertolet

Dissertation: Initial Development and Validation of the Transgender Ally Identity Scale for Counselors , Jamie D. Bower

Dissertation: A Counselor’s First Encounter with Non-Death Loss: A Phenomenological Case Study on New Counselor Preparation and Experience in Working with Non-Death Loss , Charles P. Carrington

Dissertation: The Relationship Between Counselors' Multicultural Counseling Competence and Poverty Beliefs , Madeline Elizabeth Clark

Dissertation: Counselors’ Perceived Preparedness for Technology-Mediated Distance Counseling: A Phenomenological Examination , Daniel C. Holland

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Dissertation: Factors Associated with Family Counseling Practices: The Effects of Training, Experience, and Multicultural Counseling Competence , Amanda A. Brookshear

Dissertation: An Examination of Supervisory Working Alliance, Supervisee Demographics, and Delivery Methods in Synchronous Distance Supervision , Robert Milton Carlisle III

Dissertation: A Phenomenological Investigation of Counselors' Perceived Degree of Preparedness When Working with Suicidal Clients , Heather Danielle Dahl

Dissertation: African American Pastors and Their Perceptions of Professional School Counseling , Krystal L. Freeman

Dissertation: A Phenomenological Investigation of Wellness and Wellness Promotion in Counselor Education Programs , Brett Kyle Gleason

Dissertation: Examining Disordered Eating Amongst Sorority Women , Andrea Joy Kirk

Dissertation: Bhutanese Counselors' Experiences with Western Counseling: A Qualitative Study , Susan V. Lester

Dissertation: An Exploration of Health Providers' Responses to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Malaysia , Kee Pau

Dissertation: A Mixed Methods Study of the Intersection of Sexual Orientation and Spiritual Development in the College Experience , Kevin C. Snow

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Dissertation: Ethical and Legal Knowledge, Cognitive Complexity, and Moral Reasoning in Counseling Students , Matthew W. Bonner

Dissertation: A Grounded Theory of the College Experiences of African American Males in Black Greek-Letter Organizations , David Julius Ford Jr.

Dissertation: The Experiences of School Counselors with Court Involvement Related to Child Custody , Crystal E. Hatton

Dissertation: A Grounded Theory of Suicidality in Children Ten and Younger , Katherine Angela Heimsch

Dissertation: School Counseling Program Models Utilized By School Districts , Tracy L. Jackson

Dissertation: The Relationship Among Counseling Supervision Satisfaction, Counselor Self-Efficacy, Working Alliance and Multicultural factors , Jennifer Dawn Logan

Dissertation: Development of the Profession of Counseling in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania: A Grounded Theory Study , Mueni Joy Maweu Mwendwa

Dissertation: Resident Assistants' Self- Efficacy for Participation in Counseling Activities , Miranda Johnson Parries

Dissertation: Role Ambiguity of Counseling Supervisors , Aaron Gabriel Shames

Dissertation: Degree of Implementation of the American School Counselor Association National Model and School Counselor Burnout , Katrina Marie Steele

Dissertation: College Health and Mental Health Outcomes on Student Success , Daniel Joseph St. John

Dissertation: Supervisor Perceptions of Their Multicultural Training Needs for Working with English Language Learning Supervisees , Hsin-Ya Tang

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Dissertation: Experiences of Resident Assistants with Potentially Suicidal Students: Identification, Referral, and Expectations , Katherine M. Bender

Dissertation: Counselor Demographics, Client Aggression, Counselor Job Satisfaction, and Confidence in Coping in Residential Treatment Programs , Erik Braun

Dissertation: School Personnel Perceptions of Professional School Counselor Role and Function , Caron N. Coles

Dissertation: Factors That Influence Minority Student Enrollment at Various Levels of Postsecondary Education , LaShauna Mychal's Dean

Dissertation: Experiences and Perceptions of Mental Health Professionals Considered Effective in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder , Bonita H. Erb

Dissertation: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Gatekeeping Among PhD Counselor Educators , Carol A. Erbes

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300 Social Work Research Topics & Questions for Papers

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Social work research focuses primarily on studying problems experienced in social work field. The research, in this case, talks about challenges that caseworkers go through in their practice. Social work research topics cover various things, including problems in welfare work, and indicate how research can be used to gain a deep understanding of the issues. Have you been wondering how to develop an intriguing social work topic and possible areas to discuss in your research? Don't worry because this article by our online paper writing service covers all your concerns. The blog post will provide some social work research topic ideas that you can consider for your social work research.

What Are Social Work Research Topics?

Social work research topics are areas of study that involve applying research methodology to comprehend sectors that are challenging for social workers. These topic ideas concentrate on addressing some problems that caseworkers go through both in their lives and their field. Research topics for social work may vary. However, like any other research paper, writing social work research topics deals with application of related theories and concepts, as well as understanding the entire casework aspects. The research involves applying cause and effect, analytic, survey, and experimental procedures to find ways to address welfare challenges. The purpose of welfare work study is to understand the efficiency of various interventions used to address challenges people develop due to welfare deprivation.

Characteristics of Good Social Work Topics

As an individual seeking to conduct research in welfare work areas, you need to know some of the features that make social work topics to be of great value. Below are characteristics that will make topics for social work research incredible.

A good topic covers modern trends and incorporates the ideas in the social field.
The topic should break specific stereotypes using reasonable evidence.
It must also be supported by various studies that are peer-reviewed.
Topic chosen must be related to practices in the welfare field.

How to Choose a Social Work Topic?

A plan to decide on excellent social work topics to research starts with a general orientation into social work field. Here are some steps involved when choosing a social work research topic.

Pick a sector with research potential or simply the one you like.
Start with “why” and “what” questions and expand on them.
Read data on faculty’s research interests.
Read a proper research paper that find interesting and focus on literature review and background sections to gain insight into various issues.
Identify and browse journals that relate to your likes.
Lastly, you can look online for research topics that are ready and skim through them to gain new knowledge.

Once you pick a topic, don’t hesitate to contact our proficient research paper writers . Our experts are adept in many fields and can complete a research paper on any topic.

Social Work Research Topics List

Social work research topics cover various concepts and challenges related to caseworkers and their fields of practice. Below are comprehensive research topics in social work that are compelling to explore.

Parenting and how it is affected by drug abuse.
Hardship and benefits of teenage adoption.
Dealing with suicidal thoughts.
Societal view on mental sickness stigma.
Adverse impact of displacement on street kids.
Homelessness and associated psychological effects.
Managing PTSD among veterans.
Adolescents and associated clinical depression.
How group therapy helps to better the lives of foster residents.
Family role in reducing or increasing depression.
Effectiveness of anti-depressants.
Impact of death on wellbeing of a family.
Effects of divorce on lifestyle and health of children.
Ways to address military troops' suicidal tendencies.
Causes of suicidal thoughts in society.
Impact of disability on lives of parents.
Ways to address stigma associated with disability.
Children with autism are socially excluded.
Impacts of bullying on children’s wellbeing.
Complexities around child labor.
Debate for and against abortion.
Maltreatment of children in foster care.
Change in societal reaction to HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and now.
Rape and its psychological impact on the victim.
Ways to reduce human trafficking.

Unique Topics in Social Work

There are scholarly research topics in social work that draw extra attention from readers since they are unique in nature. Such topics often concentrate on issues neglected in society. Below are unique topics for social work research.

Is wellbeing therapy sustainable?
Teenage girls’ menstrual experiences in foster homes for the first time.
Poverty and how it impedes growth in the American Deep South.
Negative impact of conversion therapy on LGBTQ society.
Influence of inclusive healthcare system on ensuring good welfare lives of people.
Interracial marriages and their associated problems.
Effects of diversity on children with disabilities.
Effects of physical abuse on spousal intimacy.
Pornography as a primary contributor of incest in families.
Increase in violence against children and women.
Activism role based on culture in Native Americans ’ lives.
Sexual addiction of women to men.
Disparity in health services for immigrants.
Challenges experienced by people diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Living with a spouse with memory problem.
Power issue in divorce mediation.
Issues related to having many partners.
Reintegration of those who survive substance abuse into the society.
Employment initiatives for women.
Dynamic systems applied to nations in war situations.
Transracial adoption and identity issue.
The hidden trauma in young counselors.
Ensuring access to medical services in villages.
Lowering the gender pay gap.
Reducing racism and antisemitism.

Controversial Topics in Social Work

Presently, there are several controversial issues in social work that may give rise to social research topics. Listed below are some controversial social work research topics.

Societal reaction to euthanasia.
Myths on adolescents’ substance abuse.
Societal groups that are most vulnerable to substance abuse.
Ways to deal with drug abuse in orphanages.
Ethical issues associated with human trafficking.
Family support role in reducing recidivism.
How imprisonment affects mental health.
Gender difference when dealing with imprisoned individuals.
Juvenile delinquents and reeducation strategies.
Whose role is it to develop resilience in social work?
What are strategies to build resilience among welfare workers?
Benefits associated with social health education among incarcerated women.
How unreported cases of abuse propagate violence.
Does constructivist therapy offer anything new to social work?
Should caseworkers support hypnosis use?
Who is responsible for misdiagnosis?
How does misdiagnosis affect lives of mentally ill individuals?
Health benefits associated with hypnosis on an individual.
Should parents be involved in preventing dyslexia?
Ways to address panic for both adults and adolescents.
Challenges faced by the LGBTQ community.
Do traffickers suffer psychological consequences of human trafficking?
Welfare workers’ roles in civil wars.
Various strategies to help anti-social students.
Was confinement sanctioning by the court a good move?

Interesting Social Work Research Questions

Before you start your research, it is essential to develop a social work research question that guides the type of information you will gather. Some of the social work research questions examples that talk about various interesting social work topics are listed below.

How can the US solve the rise in obesity cases?
How does taking student loans impact them psychologically?
How can America curb increasing addiction cases?
How do we help adults with learning disabilities?
How can we improve lives of pregnant incarcerated mothers?
What is America’s racial disparity prevalence?
How can PTSD patients receive support?
Does poverty have psychological effects on children?
What are workplace violence indicators?
What are strategies to ensure work-family balance?
What does society believe about divorce and its impact on children?
Do you think substance abuse can be regulated?
What are consequences of living with HIV/AIDS?
Do you feel traumatized living with dyslexia?
What are causes of bipolar disorder?
How does society treat those with bipolar disorders?
Who is more vulnerable to divorce?
Does the US criminal justice system play its role in reducing juvenile delinquency?
What are problems minority kids face at their foster homes?
Does substance misuse lead to alcoholism?
Role of police brutality in increasing transformative change?
What is the appropriate strategy to help patients with bipolar?
How can we avoid re-incarceration?
What does religion say about LGBTQ community?
How does ADHD affect children in foster homes?

>> Read more: Criminal Justice Research Paper Topics

Hot Topics in Social Work

There are various topics in social work that a researcher can explore to address current hot issues such as COVID-19 pandemic. These topics are important since they help determine current and future solutions to an issue. Here are some social work issues topics that you can consider.

What are effects of Russian-Ukraine war on society?
Impact of COVID-19 on welfare workers’ psychological health.
Issues that arise in households with adopted children.
Social workers’ attitude towards older people.
Importance of religion in reducing stereotypes.
How building emotional intelligence helps caseworkers.
Demands that residents in a foster facility make.
Challenges single parents experience.
Support strategies for single parents.
Strategies to help sexually exploited children.
Factors leading to homelessness in the US.
Forms of abuse elders experience from young people.
Media role in shaping antisemitism stereotypes.
Approaches to working with elderly people who are cognitively impaired.
Parental role in shaping sexual orientation of their children.
When should a child be removed from a setting?
Child neglect and its effects on victim’s academic performance.
Psychological effects of children watching domestic violence.
Grief and its associated symptoms.
Methods for assisting kids who have seen domestic violence.
Ways to encourage domestic violence reporting.
Technology and addiction treatment.
Suicide prevention protocol in different localities.
Risk factors associated with secondary traumatic stress.
Ways to increase cancer screening rates.

Human Services Research Topics

Human services topics are important since they deal with human existence and ways to make it better. Human service topics focus on how social workers help to satisfy individuals’ and communities’ needs. Generally, social workers’ primary aim is to ensure people live in the most comfortable way possible. Some of the human service research topics are indicated below.

Adverse impact of unemployment.
Ways to deal with anxiety and depression among small children.
Reducing number of incarcerated individuals.
Impact of juvenile delinquency in the US.
Relevant ways to breed love in foster care.
Integration of dyslexic people into society.
Government intervention to enhance welfare conditions.
Importance of food banks for the US citizens.
High school bullying prevalence and impacts.
Factors leading to family violence.
Impact of homophobia on LGBTQ+ community.
Drawbacks of the US correctional system.
Effects of mental illness misdiagnosis.
The move to invalidate bullying in high schools.
Causes of panicking in kids.
Interventions to reduce unemployment rates in the US.
Strategies to show concern for individuals from communities with low income.
Challenges of homophobia in the UAE.
Social workers in reducing child abuse cases.
Strategies to enhance resilience among welfare workers.
The need for psychological therapy among welfare workers.
Important household policies that can reduce domestic violence.
Shortcomings of America’s carceral system.
Interventions for children raised in abusive homes.
Ways to improve learning experience for disabled children.

Best Social Work Research Topics Ideas

Social work plays a huge role in our daily lives. Therefore, exploring research topics ideas for social work will help us to understand welfare workers’ role in making our lives better. This section discusses various social work topics for research papers. It is categorized into subsections, starting with research paper topics, thesis topics, and dissertation topics. Here, you will also find social work capstone ideas, topics for discussion, essay, and presentation topics. Details for each subsection are provided below.

Social Work Research Paper Topics

As an individual in social work field, you will write several research papers and essays. Social work paper topics you can cover depend on your interests, trends, or any other factor. Some interesting topics related to social work you can consider include the following.

Social workers' perspectives on elderly.
Causes of people's unwillingness to take advantage of mental health care services.
Problems that foster children face that prevent them from completing their college degrees.
Welfare workers’ role in drug abuse prevention.
The significance of cultural awareness in casework.
Facilitation of prenatal and postpartum care for surrogate moms.
Assessing how PTSD affects psychological wellbeing.
Adoptive families face unique difficulties and concerns.
Benefits of play therapy interventions for school counseling.
Hemodialysis patients' mental health and the methods used to help them.
Importance of leisure pursuits for Alzheimer's patients.
Damages of psychological violence.
Trauma and adolescent transition among LGBTQ+ kids.
Understanding the neglect-syndrome of foster kids.
Understanding trauma for caseworkers.
Foster parenting's advantages.
Role of foster parents in violence prevention.
Domestic violence and its impacts.
Foster homes’ role in creating a safe space.
How diversity helps in social works sector.

Social Work Thesis Topics

There are several thesis topics in social work to research during your master’s program or PhD, which can vary depending on your interest or occupation. Below are some of the social work literature review topics that you can look into.

Effectiveness of group therapy for alcoholics.
Mental health services’ effectiveness for pedophilia survivors.
Inaccessibility of mental health care for members of underrepresented groups due to language barriers.
Prepartum depression and connection to expecting mothers.
Relationship between codependency and emotional unavailability.
Strategies to handle fatigue among welfare workers.
Burnout causes among social workers.
Challenges associated with child birth and labor.
Depression and the perception of welfare mothers.
Prevalence of mental health in the US.
The use of an integrated system in various foster homes within America.
Nurses’ commitment level and how it is associated with health outcomes.
Impact of legalizing abortion in some states.
Comparison between displacement in foster homes and war sites.
Analyzing displacement and associated challenges.
How immigrant families benefit from parenthood?
Issues that visually disabled students face at school.
Essence of welfare work sector diversity.
Learning about depression from the welfare mom's viewpoint.
Ways to improve healthcare system.

Social Work Dissertation Topics

Dissertation is a crucial part of your education life as a social worker. Therefore, dissertation topics in social work have to be properly framed and specific. Here are some of the dissertation topics for social work to consider.

Coping strategies of men during violence at home.
Rape and how it affects victim’s psychological development.
Acceptance rate of addiction by addicts within the US.
Vulnerable groups and government’s role in improving their lives.
Justification of gender pay gap in America.
Addiction to substance abuse and its role in the contemporary world.
Prevalence of homosexuality in the US.
Naturalizing human needs as a way to break down taboo and barriers.
The association between stigma and drug abuse persistence.
Drug abuse and how music increases its prevalence.
Rate at which American citizens care for their forefathers.
Technological role in shaping our sexual preferences.
Reasons why men and women commit suicide.
Existing protection policies for children in New York State.
Investigating US women who have experienced child sexual abuse.
Assessment of healing strategies for drug abuse survivors.
The role of parents in supporting their children’s ambitions.
Volunteering and its impact on self-satisfaction.
Therapies used to treat effective disorder in an American youth.
The need for sexual education among young girls with mental health issues.

Social Work Capstone Project Ideas

As a social worker, you should consider some social work project topics for your capstone project . Capstone project social work research topics are highlighted below.

Impact of domestic violence on marital satisfaction.
How does government support minority groups?
Media role in ensuring public safety.
Causes of child neglect.
How juvenile crime affects the US.
How government ensures food security.
Enhancing public safety in minority communities.
Problems associated with criminal justice system.
Social integration of individuals with Down Syndrome.
Role of school administration in reducing bullying.
Bullying and victims’ academic performance.
Trauma experienced by social workers.
Parenting and its role in children’s sexual orientation.
What causes panic in schools.
How child support is essential in divorced couples.
Child neglect and its causes.
Damages caused by psychological violence.
Trauma of adolescent transitioning in LGBTQ+ children.
Understanding foster kids’ neglect-syndrome.
Causes of increase in reincarceration among youths in America.

Social Work Topics for Discussion

Highlighted below are some social work discussion topics to consider.

Root causes of domectic violence.
Location-specific suicide prevention and crisis protocols.
How does drug dependence influence parenting?
Public policies for and against LGBT community.
Ways of providing support for bipolar patients.
Prenatal depression in expectant mothers.
How to cope with imprisonment stigma.
Ways to improve living standards in foster homes.
What are the best community service strategies for refugees?
How can backyard farming be used to empower women?
Utilizing gender sensitivity to help the LGBT community.
Cultural importance of generation gap.
Secondary traumatic stress: symptoms, risk factors & ways of managing.
How to motivate women to report family violence.
Various ways in which unemployment influences immigrants.
How peer service providers confront reproductive health issues.
The major problems faced by welfare workers.
Detrimental influence of alcohol and drug on adolescents.
Effectiveness of the prohibition of liquor.
Key reasons for heightened crime rates in modern society.

Social Work Essay Topics

Here are some of social work topics for essays that you should consider in your writing.

Global challenges faced by deported women.
Street hawking opportunities for teenagers.
Main factors that lead to incest.
Positive and negative effects of health care reforms.
How environmental welfare work is undertaken.
Care strategies for immigrants.
Impact of corporate social responsibility on community wellbeing.
Does welfare scheme affect worker’s performance?
The impact of sexual violence on adolescent girls.
How does diversity affect various communities?
Effect of play therapy interventions in school counseling.
Influence of poverty on children’s development and education.
How should welfare workers deal with pedophilia victims?
How should caseworkers prevent burnout?
How to establish a high school service-learning program.
Elder abuse: most prevalent forms.
The central issues associated with special education.
Personal perspective on the obstacles faced by vulnerable populations in search medical help.
What is the greatest risk of fetal alcohol exposure?
Ways to enhance caseworkers’ mental health.

Social Work Topics for Presentation

Presentation social work topics for research discuss different aspects of the field of social work. The research topics have to be practical for them to be presented well. Below are some good research topics for social work presentation.

Strategies to ensure equality during job recruitment.
Autism and its risk factors.
Causes of depression in kids.
What are risk factors of PTSD among victims?
Ways to reduce suicide cases in society.
Advantages and disadvantages of rehabilitation centers.
Community initiatives to cater for the elders.
Effects of misdiagnosis of mental illness.
Ethics of abortion.
Importance of early cancer screening.
Strategies to reduce unemployment rate among minority communities.
How foster parents can help in countering youth violence.
Euthanasia and how various religions view it.
Compare societal preparation to COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS.
Contemporary ways to substance abuse.
Eating disorder and its causes.

Research Topics for Social Work Students

College students also apply social work research topics in their study of related subject, which covers various aspects in the field of social work. Here are some of social work research topics for college students.

Resident’s experience in long-term care facilities.
Strategies to handle life when both parents suffer from Alzheimer’s.
Pregnancy experience among immigrants and how they approach it.
How does death affect the collective wellbeing of the family?
Enhancing digital literacy among immigrant students.
How socioeconomic disparity affects the old.
Social and mental effects of loans on students.
Social problems that autistic children face.
Conversion therapy’s negative effects on the LGBTQ+ community.
Impact of science on cancer treatment.

You will find a lot of topics in different fields on our platform. If you are looking for topics in laws or mental health research paper topics , just go to our library and find what you need.

Bottom Line on Social Work Research Topic Ideas

Feel free to choose a topic of your choice from the social work research topics examples recommended above. Apply appropriate topic categories during the process of choosing topics depending on your needs, knowledge in the field, and the type of paper you are writing. Practice using the provided examples will make you perfect.

In case you need a personalized research topic, or require a complete social work research paper, you can buy research paper online from StudyCrumb. Particularly, our writers will help you choose social work research paper topics, write papers for you, and proofread the work to ensure there are no grammatical errors.

Joe Eckel is an expert on Dissertations writing. He makes sure that each student gets precious insights on composing A-grade academic writing.

206 Interesting Social Work Research Topics You Should Consider

Many students struggle to find suitable social work research topics. This field has many subjects that learners can explore in their dissertations. The simplest social work definition describes it as a set of functions that enable you to improve other people’s lives. A social worker helps children and adults cope with daily issues, personal issues, family issues, and relationship troubles.

Considering the scope of this field, selecting an ideal social work research topic can be challenging. Learners have many pressing issues that they can cover in their papers. Nevertheless, choosing an interesting topic is essential in writing a winning dissertation.

Social Work Research Paper Outline

Once you’ve chosen a topic for your social work dissertation or research paper, the next step is to outline it. Your outline should highlight the components of your work, incorporating the argument. Also, identify your stance on an issue, tying up the other parts of the paper because it will enable you to create a thesis statement. Here are the key sections to highlight in your outline.

Introduction: The intro should present your study’s background while providing relevant details of the problem. Use a strong opening phrase to grab your readers’ attention and engage them so they can read the rest of the paper. The introduction should present your study’s context, formulate its primary goal, and end with an effective thesis statement. Main body: This section should feature the main arguments. It highly depends on your research type and the methods you use. It may include a literature review analyzing other scholars’ findings and identifying gaps in previous studies. Also, this section explains the methods you use in your research, results, and discussions. Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the findings and wrap up the dissertation. You can restate your thesis statement to remind readers about your position on the issue and your goal. The best approach is to reward the thesis statement persuasively while encouraging readers to think about the problem. Also, you can recommend further research explaining why the topic is worth exploring.

After drafting an outline, you can proceed to research and write your social work paper. Edit and proofread the work or seek professional assistance to ensure its quality.

General Social Work Research Topics Ideas

Maybe you want to write a thesis on general topics in this study field. In that case, here are ideas you can explore in your paper.

How substance abuse influence parenting
Teenager adoption- Happiness and hardships that come with it
How to address the inclination to commit suicide
Should society question the stigma surrounding mental sickness?
Foster homes and group therapy- Is it effective?
How does the lack of child support affect childcare
Investigating autistic children and social displacement
How does clinical depression affect adolescent children
How does continuous mobility influence orphan toddlers
Analyzing the stigma surrounding depression
How to manage intrinsic PTSD for medical veterans
Exploring the stigma surrounding disability
How homelessness influences a person’s psychology
How does displacement influence aggressiveness among street children
How the works of several agencies affect child protection
Exploring perceptions and attitudes of oppression between the community and health professionals
Addressing cultural perspectives- Transiting to social work
The social worker’s role in deciding to end life
Lifelong learning model- Exploring evidence-based practices
The reflection law- a learning model or self-indulgence in social work

These are general ideas worth exploring in your social work dissertation. Nevertheless, please select any of these titles when confident you will be comfortable working on them.

Common Social Worker Research Topics

Maybe you’re searching for something your readers can quickly identify with when reading your paper. If so, this section lists some of the best ideas to investigate in your social work thesis.

How to create dyslexia patients’ awareness
Analyzing similarities and differences between ADHD and dyslexia
How alcoholism affects personal, family, and social lifestyle
How a family can exacerbate depression
Why academic and social integration matter for kids suffering from down syndrome
Investigating the social exclusion of kids with down syndrome
The effectiveness of anti-depressants- A clinical study
How alcoholism affects a person’s psyche
The positive impact of sponsors on recovering addicts’ lives
Investigating family support and its effects on alcohol recovery
Why group therapy matters for foster home children
How clinical depression affects teenage girls
How the lack of support affects child care in America
How ADHD affects foster home children
How mental illness misdiagnosis affects people
How to address suicidal tendencies in military units
Why social interrogation matters when dealing with stigma surrounding mental illness
How parents’ bipolar affects their children’s lives and parenting
Is childhood displacement the cause of antisocial lifestyle among foster children?
The joys and struggles of teenagers’ adoption
Investigating the undisclosed rape violence cases among military women- How it affects their service and lives
How substance abuse affects parenting
Child-parent separation- Investigating the stigma it brings
Positive impacts of divorce on children’s lifestyle and health
Addressing substance abuse issues among teenagers
How death affects a family’s well-being
Family support study- Is it a viable option for alcohol recovery?

Most people will identify with these topics because they touch on issues with which they are familiar. However, investigate the matter you select carefully to develop a winning dissertation.

Exciting Social Work Research Questions

Maybe you want to answer a question in your thesis paper. If so, consider any of these questions as a topic for your essay.

How can you support an adult living with a disability?
What are the social and psychological impacts of student loans?
What are the psychological, physical, and emotional effects of incarceration of pregnant mothers?
What challenges do minority children face in foster homes?
Transformative change- Can police brutality enhance it?
How can society deal with the rising obesity in America?
How can we support bipolar patients?
What are the effects of incarcerated individuals’ entry into the community?
What is the percentage of incarcerated adults among minority groups?
Does substance misuse increase alcoholism cases?
How does community violence affect LGBT lives?
What is the difference between Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2?
Can trauma inform children’s education in foster homes?
Can protesting police brutality promote transformative change?
Does divorce affect all children’s psyches negatively?
Does foster homes’ trauma cause kids’ disappearance from the facility?
Can implementing learning curriculums with a positive impact on dyslexic students enhance academics?
Does trauma-informed learning reflect parenting?
Do food and house security affect foster children throughout their lives?
Has the criminal justice system failed social lifestyle in America?
What are the primary workplace trauma signs?
How can society address workplace violence?
How do scarcity and poverty affect young children’s psychology?
How can you identify depression in a teenager?
Has the American healthcare system failed minority groups?
What are the risks of kids-parent separation?
What are the impacts of living with dyslexia?
Is depression a mental disorder?
What are the effects of racial disparity?

Any of these questions can be an excellent title for your dissertation. Nevertheless, consult various information sources to write a high-quality paper.

Human Services Research Paper Topics

Human services is a part of the social work field dealing with issues related to human services, factors affecting them, and how to address the challenges. Here are ideas to consider in this category.

How to address panic, anxiety, and depression in young children
The psychological impact of human trafficking on victims
Psychological effects of child trafficking
Similarities between adult incarceration and juvenile delinquency
How unemployment affects people
Factors that increase depression cases among the youth
Police system- Defunded, reformed, or abolished?
How the carceral system in America affects minority and low-income homes
Social integration of dyslexic and down syndrome patients
Effective ways to enhance welfare conditions
Food banks and their adverse psychological effects
The benefits of food banks on American lives
The impact of home violence on children
The result of high school bullying
Why welfare workers need support groups and therapy
How to enhance love in foster homes
Resilience practice among social workers
Juvenile delinquency impacts in America
The shortcomings of America’s carceral system
How to address the homophobia issue in the U.S
How homophobia affects LGBT+ adults
What causes family violence?
How to address spousal violence
How family cruelty affects lives
Undiagnosed bipolar cases and their effects
Impacts of misdiagnosed mental illnesses
How to enhance LGBTQ+ kids’ support systems
The result of home insecurity on the homeless
How to bridge the gap between community members and formerly incarcerated individuals
Incarceration- Abolished or reformed?

These human services topics are worth investigating in a research paper. However, take the time to research your chosen title to write an exciting piece.

Controversial Topics In Social Work

Some social work essay topics are controversial. Some people find these titles controversial because they provoke public interest. Here are some of them.

Flood and hurricane survivors and their hidden trauma
How hurricanes affect low-income neighborhoods
Trafficking- How it affects a society’s social well-being
Unreported abuse cases in homes and how they promote violence
Social, health, and psychological implications of the abortion ban for rape victims
Why the community should enhance awareness of AIDS stigmatization
Therapy continuous cycle- Why a therapist requires therapy
The unnoticed and hidden trauma among therapists and counselors
How court-sanctioned confinement promotes mental illness instead of facilitating correlation
How to address violence- Is it a social problem in the correctional system?
Sexual health education- Is it vital for incarcerated women?
How social media affects a person’s mental health and well-being
The effectiveness of different types of therapy for treating mental health disorders.
The prevalence of Eating Disorders in developed countries.
The role of family dynamics in the development and treatment of Eating Disorders.
How do different cultures view mental health and mental illness?
Is there a link between creativity and mental illness?
Does psychiatric medication use lead to higher recovery rates from mental illness?
What are the most effective interventions for helping people with substance abuse problems?
How to deal with grief and loss?
How can we better support people with chronic physical health conditions?
Drug abuse- Is it increasing in low-income neighborhoods?
The negative impacts of incarceration on the imprisoned people’s psychological well-being
Reasons to investigate confinement and its dangers
Ways to help addicts facing high drug vulnerability
How cognitive-behavioral therapy enhances the relationship between social workers and their situations or environments
The health benefits of hypnosis on individuals
Why treatment is essential for less represented groups
Distinguishing undiagnosed depression and clinical depression
A qualitative investigation of dyslexia among adolescents
How empathy can enhance the social work sector
Why qualitative examination of foster homes for peace and child safety matters

These are controversial topics to consider in this academic field. Prepare to take a stance and defend it if you pick any of these social work project ideas.

Social Work Topics For Presentation

Maybe you want to include a presentation in your paper. That’s because social work is a practical field requiring some displays. Consider the following titles for your essay if you want to include a presentation.

What are Stockholm syndrome and its effects?
How to understand syndrome victims better
How incest affects homes
Investigating sexually violated kids
Why free healthcare matters in foster homes and low-income neighborhoods
How adult incarceration and juvenile delinquency affect society
Juvenile delinquency and trauma
LGBTQ+ children trauma and adolescent transitioning
Foster kids and neglect-syndrome
Why diversity matters in the social work sector
Social workers- Understanding their trauma
Foster parenting- What are the positive impacts?
Do foster homes create a safe space?
Foster parents and their roles in preventing violence
Social workers and their role in preventing drug abuse
The effects of domestic violence
Psychological violence and its damages
How spirituality affects techniques in social works
Social works and their historical development
Social work and its importance in schools
Why teenagers’ therapy matters
Exploring the challenges facing social workers in the forensics sector
Investigating the struggles facing the minority groups
Studying abuse and violence in middle-class homes
Why finance matters in social works sustenance
The impact of compassion fatigue
Modern social workers and their challenges
Drug abuse and its effects on children
Why inclusivity matters in social works
Same-sex relationships- Why they matter to a social worker
Why high schools need drug sensitization
Investigating depression stereotypes

Pick any of these ideas and use them to draft a paper that includes a presentation. Nevertheless, research your topic extensively to prepare a winning dissertation.

Interesting Social Work Topics

Some issues in social work draw more attention than others because they are unique. Here are such topics.

The impacts of pregnancy on teenage mothers
The increasing pressure and effects of social media on teenagers’ lives
How welfare systems relate to low-income neighborhoods
Why are rehabilitation centers are essential in America than carceral systems
How cultural beliefs and gender roles affect marriages
Low labor and its role in workplace abuse
How the increasing housing cost affects young millennials
The part of abortion bans on psychological issues
How birth control roles affect society negatively
How are teenagers, the general community, and school related?
Analyzing first-time menstrual experiences and their impact on teenage girls within foster homes
Wellness therapy and its sustainability
Investigating poverty prevalence in the American Deep South- How it prevents the growth
The implications of relationships on social workers’ interactions
The negative impact of conversion therapy on the LGBTQ+ community
How an inclusive and functional healthcare system enhances social growth
Shelter homes women- Investigating their life experiences
The prevalent racial disparity in food bank systems in America
Understanding social relegations and stigma of welfare mothers
Client-therapist relationship- Investigating psychiatric therapists and their work

These topics address relevant issues that society often neglects. Pick any idea in this category and explore it further through research and analysis.

Social Work Thesis Topics

Educators will ask you to write different papers when pursuing social work studies. A sociology thesis is among the documents you might write when pursuing a master’s or Ph.D. studies. Here are topics to consider for these papers.

Investigating expecting mothers’ postpartum depression
How interdependency differs from codependency among youth adults
Emotional unavailability in homes- Does it enhance codependency?
Codependency- Is it a displacement feature?
Foster kids and future attachment methods
Social work and disability disparity
Disability challenges facing the healthcare system
Compassion integration in social works
ADHD- What are the most common myths about it?
How emotionally immature parents affect their adult children psychologically
Drug addiction and treatment plans
Addressing challenges facing visually impaired students
Investigating foster homes and child abuse
The emotional impact of a transition into a nursing home
Exploring immigrant families and parenthood
The intricacies of child labor

These are exciting topics to consider for your social work thesis. Nevertheless, prepare adequate time and resources to investigate any of these titles to develop a paper that will earn you the best grade.

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Social Work Research Topics

Table of contents

1 What is a Social Work Research Paper?
2 Tips for Selecting a Good Topic for a Social Work Research Paper
3.1 Social Work Research Topics for Beginners
3.2 Social Work Research Topics for College Students
3.3 Human Services Research Paper Topics
3.4 Interesting Social Work Research Paper Topics
3.5 Controversial Social Work Research Paper Topics
3.6 Social Work Thesis Topics
3.7 Critical Social Work Research Paper
3.8 Disputable Social Work Research Topics
3.9 Social Work Topics for Presentation
3.10 Social Work Research Paper for Literature Review

With these topics in mind, you can explore further into the field of social work and gain a better understanding of how research can help shape our society for the better. Read on to learn what is a social research paper, review helpful tips to select one, and explore a list of the 100 best social work research topics ideas.

What is a Social Work Research Paper?

A social work research paper is a document that presents facts, analysis, and research findings about a particular social work topic. Students often find it overwhelming to find the best social work topics for their research papers. Also, it’s not always possible to buy research paper and avoid the investigation altogether. Researching and writing about these topics can help students understand the causes of social issues and how to address them best.

It also provides insights into how to improve services for those who are most vulnerable and in need of assistance. The most popular social work research topics are those that treat issues of this kind, and they can be excellent as research papers.

However, focusing on the most popular research topics for social work is not the only option. It is important for students to analyze the topic they like and learn more about it. Even better if the work can somehow help solve a problem in their community. A research paper with factually accurate data and information can help you make your project look more engaging and informative. But it can also have an impact right away.

For these reasons, writing a research paper on social work can be a rewarding experience for students. It allows them to expand their knowledge along with developing a sense of empathy towards the community. Furthermore, it is important to select a topic that is relevant to the field of social work and provides enough scope for further exploration.

Tips for Selecting a Good Topic for a Social Work Research Paper

There are many topics in the field of social work that are important for understanding various aspects of social problems, their causes, and effective solutions. Research in this area can take many forms, including quantitative studies and qualitative interviews.

To write an effective social work paper, students should learn how to identify and assess topics that can add value to their project. Selecting topics that allow you to develop evidence-based interventions and include the necessary amount of information can be helpful. When selecting a topic, consider the various aspects of social work, such as its history, current trends, legal implications, and ethical considerations. Generally speaking, choose a topic that is flexible enough to conduct research and analysis.

Additionally, look for topics that allow you to focus on one particular area without getting overwhelmed by the amount of information available. Having access to adequate resources such as journals and books that provide in-depth information about your chosen topic is also helpful. Also, don’t forget to interview a social worker active in the field to have first-hand impressions. This will make it easier to select a good topic for your social work research paper.

You can also consider getting help for your research paper from professional writers. They can help you manage all aspects of the process, including choosing a suitable topic. In some cases, you can also get a “ write my research paper ” option. This allows you to get the job done by a professional or get a piece that you only have to fine-tune. Another piece of advice is to do a quick scan of available resources, both offline and online. Moreover, choose a unique and practical topic that differentiates you from other students.

Here are some additional tips to help you select a good topic for a social work research paper.

Read Extensively. Reading widely about a general topic that interests you is crucial. Consider writing down the ideas, information, and sources that interest you the most. You can then review the notes to select a topic. Consider your interests and expertise in the field of social work. If you are passionate about a particular topic or have prior experience in it, then this could be the perfect place to start your research. Doing quick research on each potential topic before choosing one will help you decide whether it’s worth writing.

Select a Relevant Topic. Make sure the topic you choose is relevant to the field of social work you intend to work on or you’ve been tasked to analyse. An irrelevant topic that does not have any connection with the subject will fail to interest the readers. This may lead to a dull paper or, if you’re a student, to a low mark or a fail. Select a topic related to social work application theories. Think about the latest trends in social work and identify topics that are currently being discussed or researched by other people. Explore different current events related to social work and determine if there is anything relevant that could be best for your paper.

Choose a Specific Topic . A research topic that is too broad or too narrow can make it difficult to carry out research. If the topic is too wide, you may end up writing in general and not including the information that is necessary. Selecting a specific topic will allow you to conduct detailed research and provide reasonable arguments and solutions. With so many potential topics to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down the choices and select one. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to make this process easier. Firstly, understand the context of your research paper and set specific goals to select a topic that is both meaningful and manageable.

Consider a Flexible Topic. Go with a topic that is flexible and allows you to conduct research and analysis. Find a unique topic that matches your field of interest and add value to your research paper. Choosing a flexible topic will help you provide real benefits to the readers. A flexible topic will provide you with numerous opportunities to explore different aspects of a particular issue or event. Additionally, by selecting a flexible topic that allows for multiple arguments and solutions, you can ensure that your paper is comprehensive and engaging.

Discuss With Others. Another great way to select a good social work topic for a research paper is by communicating with other students and researchers. You can also discuss it with your professors and learn about their opinions. By discussing with other students or professors, you can get different perspectives on potential topics and gain valuable insights. Moreover, talking to other people about their experiences in social work can help you discover your interest and select the best possible topic for your research paper .

Selecting a good topic for your social work research paper may feel overwhelming. With careful thought and consideration, you can find a relevant and appropriate one for the paper. To help you in this process, here is a broad list of social work research topics.

Social Work Research Topics for Beginners

Social work research papers are a great way to explain the complex issues affecting individuals, families, and communities. Newcomers can still write a persuasive research paper in this field by sharing their own experiences.

If you are a beginner, then the following research topics for social work can be best for you:

The impacts that clinical depression has on adolescents
Impact of alcoholism on family members and personal lifestyle
Hardships and happiness in adopting a teenager
How to become social workers? What are the legal requirements?
Why do we need more women leaders in our community?
Why it’s important to raise awareness to stop domestic violence?
The importance of women denouncing domestic violence
The effects of alcohol on a person’s behavior and sociality
Depression and society: stigmas and stereotypes
The best strategies for ensuring the health and basic education for every child

Social Work Research Topics for College Students

College students can benefit from performing in-depth research on a specific topic and applying theories, concepts, and principles of social work in their research papers. To help you select a specific topic of your interest, here are some popular ones in the field of social work:

Possible solutions to limit child abuse in society
How to fight the bullying of disabled children
Effects of domestic violence on family members
Raising a child as a single parent: challenges and strategies
Helping bipolar patients: effective strategies
How divorce impacts children’s lifestyle and upbringing
Reasons and prevention of the increase in suicide rates among students
Drugs abuse among teenagers: an insight
The impact of interracial adoption on children’s development
Fighting human trafficking: strategies and issues

There are a few common problems that may arise when writing a social work research paper, such as difficulty in finding relevant sources, inability to properly structure the paper or difficulty in staying focused on the topic.

Human Services Research Paper Topics

Students interested in delivering care and support to individuals or communities in need can select a human services topic for their research paper. You can find a topic related to helping empower people, providing guidance in their everyday lives, or offering resources to meet their needs.

Here are a few example topics that you may select:

An essay on homophobia
Causes and impacts of child trafficking
Effective ways to deal with depression and anxiety among students
Impact of unemployment on the society
How to prevent the most common causes of depression among teenagers
Gender disparity and incarceration: an overview
Effect of feminism throughout the ages
How does racism affect society?
The importance of freedom of speech
Social structure for disabled people

Interesting Social Work Research Paper Topics

While the following social work research topics list will help you find a good topic, communicating with experts in this field is also helpful. Consider choosing a topic that will make an impact on society and provide value to your audience.

How does parental drug use impact children?
Changing career to social work: what does it take?
The development of social work throughout the history
Women and alcohol
What are the benefits of free education?
Why should the educational system be accessible to everyone?
Abortion: history and modern thoughts
Is feminism a plot of modern society?
Effective ways to decrease criminal activities
The influence of war and peace on children’s minds

Controversial Social Work Research Paper Topics

It is important to note that the following research paper topics may be controversial and complex. Approaching controversial research topics with sensitivity and conducting thorough research before drawing any conclusions can help you write a good research paper .

Does the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy enhance the lives of jailed people’s lives?
What do people think about war in our peaceful times?
Racial profiling for criminal cases: is it really effective?
Impact of abortion on women
The importance of receiving family support for LGBT teenagers
Effects of community on the mental health of minorities
Depression: Major symptoms and causes
How the criminal justice system benefits from social workers
Preventing suicide in schools: understanding reasons and finding solutions
Does poverty affect your mental health?

Social Work Thesis Topics

A social work thesis is a research paper that focuses on a specific topic related to social work practice. A good thesis can demonstrate your ability to conduct independent research and apply theoretical concepts to address various social work issues and causes.

Explore this list to find a suitable topic for your social work thesis:

Conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ individuals: definition and effects
Use of medication in treating mental health disorders
How does social media affect mental health?
Immigration policies: Impact on families and children
Race and racism affecting mental health
Restorative justice programs in the criminal justice system
Police brutality on communities of color
The impact of climate change on vulnerable populations
Strategies social workers can use to address income inequality
Healing from domestic violence: Tips and advice

Critical Social Work Research Paper

If you want to focus on ongoing critical issues in this field then here are a few interesting topics for you:

Effectiveness of therapy and why it works for some.
Mindfulness and its importance in the process of recovery
The effectiveness of wellness therapy
Is mental health neglected in low-income and poor households
Social integration of individuals with Down syndrome
Everything about drug rehabilitation programs
The impact of psychological abuse in promoting low self-esteem
The current role of government in improving welfare conditions
How does stress response in children with autism work?
In-depth analysis of children raised in abusive homes

Disputable Social Work Research Topics

By writing on disputable social issues essay topics , you can explain the current state of society and an important way to raise awareness on a variety of issues. From racism to gender inequality, there are plenty of topics that can be explored in a research paper. Before you start writing, gain insight into why certain disputable problems exist and explore potential solutions.

Here is a list of disputable research topics for social work:

Why some people become shopaholics
Best ways to improve the participation of adolescents in the development of the local community
What’s the effect of welfare policies in fighting poverty
A report on AIDS caregivers and their experience
Best practices to improve the health system in rural areas
What is fuelling racism on a global level?
Couple therapy in building relationships: Pros and cons
Addressing workplace violence: Steps for leaders and managers
An overview of social problems faced by autistic children
How income and behavioral health are connected

Social Work Topics for Presentation

You can make your presentation more engaging by adding relevant graphs, charts, or images. Start by selecting and researching a topic that is relevant to your audience. The following list of social work topics to research can help you create an engaging presentation:

Child welfare and protection
Immigration and refugees
Community development and empowerment
Mental health services and support
LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy
Aging and elder care
Homelessness and housing insecurity
Domestic violence and abuse
Disability rights and services
Social work integration in healthcare services

Social Work Research Paper for Literature Review

A literature review should be written in a way that covers the most recent and relevant research in the field. Here are some common social work topics suitable for a literature review:

Understanding the significance of poverty on child development
Evidence-based practices in substance abuse treatment
Nutrition assistance programs
Juvenile justice system
Research on the gender pay gap
Why do some people experience homelessness?
The importance of early childhood education
Benefits of career counseling
Educational achievements of childcare in America
Welfare programs for immigrants

One of the most pressing challenges of social work researchers is finding reliable and relevant sources for their work. Online essay writers can be a great asset in this regard, as they can provide reliable information backed up by research and data. Furthermore, they can also provide creative and thoughtful insights into the topic at hand, making them invaluable resources for social work research.

While selecting a good social work topic can be challenging, the above-mentioned lists can help you write a good research paper. Once you select a topic, make sure it is relevant, interesting, and appropriate for your task or purpose.

From researching existing materials on your chosen topic to considering the scope of the project in terms of current trends in social work, there are a few things that will make your social work research paper stand out from others. Now that you have a comprehensive list of topics, you’re ready to find the best one for your needs and write a convincing and data-driven research paper for your audience.

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256 In Depth Social Work Research Topics To Get Top Grade

Social work is a practice which discusses social change and development. It requires the understanding of people’s behavior, economic conditions, social and cultural institutions, etc., to engage in meaningful interactions with people on individual, family, group, and community levels. As a discipline, it concerns itself with these levels to grow the society. The discipline encompasses fields like political science, sociology, human biology, psychology, economics, community development, health, even law. Social workers are responsible for social change as they help the vulnerable and complex people. They also help liberate violated persons or those recovering from abuse, amongst others. As a student in a college or university, before accessing the more than 200 social work research topics, how would you structure your research?

Outline And Structure For A Social Work Dissertation

While you need to find a topic from these social work project ideas or research term papers, you also need to learn how to structure your research. Writing a research paper for a high grade is not an easy task. You should abide by the following structure for your social work dissertation:

Front Page: Your front page is your title page which has your table of content, abstract, dedication, acknowledgment page, and any other essential subject that must be known before an average reader digs into your dissertation.
Introduction: Your introduction is the fundamental explanation of your topic and the problem of research you want to tackle. You should also make your research statements and establish the goals and significance of your chosen social work research topic.
Literature Review: This is the part of research where your knowledge of the chosen topic is revealed. If you lack adequate knowledge on the topic, it will be deduced here, and that’s because you haven’t combed through relevant sources online and offline to boost your understanding of your chosen study of discussion. You must discuss the theoretical background of your research, review related existing sources, and critically explain how they relate to your research in this section.
State Your Research Methodology: Some professors would want your research methodology to appear before your literature review – whatever works. You must mention the research mediums, make statements on why you choose the method and explain the value of that method in the course of research. You can also write about the limitations of the method.
Results of Study: This is where you discuss your key points which will be divided into different chapters. You get to cite your ethical observations and discuss everything you need to. If you need to compare and contrast, you should do it here. Note that your arguments must be clear and well structured.
Conclusion: This comes after you’ve made your arguments. You’ll summarize the argument and make them brief for your conclusion. This conclusion also includes your resolution on the study.
Reference List: This is where you mention every source used while writing the paper. This will show that you truly did a research and you created an original work, free of plagiarism.

With this structure in mind, these are some social work research topics ideas for you:

Social Work Research Questions

As earlier noted, the field engages the public. Before you start with your research, depending on your area of study, you must have some questions the research intends to answer. These questions are found in the research questions section and they could be:

Why should anyone be a social worker?
Does protests, violent or otherwise, achieve transformational change?
Examine ways trauma inform education for kids in foster homes
Divide the way implementing different learning curriculums can help patients with autism
How does divorce impact the mental health of children?
How does loss inform family crisis?
How does loss affect family social interaction?
Examine how food security could guarantee safety for foster children
Discuss how community violence often traumatize members of the LGBTQ
Discuss how the US criminal justice system is a failure
Does the American lifestyle truly matter in the face of racial justice?
Examine the symptoms of workplace trauma
Discuss rape trauma symptoms and the help social workers can render
Discuss the systems through which workplace violence has been best addressed
Examine how the minority groups are faring under the repressive American healthcare systems
Evaluate the significant disability of parenting on orphans
Discuss why children try to escape from foster homes
Examine the psychology of juvenile jails
Discuss the challenges of training children with disability
Evaluate the percentage of obesity and its impact amongst a group of people.

Social Worker Research Topics

As a student of psychology, law, sociology, human biology, and other areas of study, you need to understand the day-to-day lives of people. To do so, you can embark on research on the field. These are social worker research topics and suggestions for your college degree:

What are the personal talents a social worker must possess?
Evaluate the challenges of the 21st-century social worker which was inexistent until now
Growth in the ease of carrying out social workers today
Examine the significance of group therapy for Families
Discuss the essentiality of group therapy for clinically depressed children
Examine what child support is in details
Speak with 5 families and discuss their understanding of child support
Examine how adults with a disability are treated in any two states of your choice
Examine how children with disabilities are affected through mobility
Discuss the impact of stigma on ADHD patients
Basic challenge of mental health in the US today
Discuss the trend in the evolution of mental health in the world
Social regulations affect on autistics
Discuss how disability affects any age group of your choice
Evaluate how homelessness affects social integration
Discuss the way of living with bipolar people
Examine the rate of potential suicide in the military and offer solutions
Discuss the trends of abuse in the military and proffer solutions
Dangers of misdiagnosis
How to prevent the rise in street children

Social Work Thesis Topics

To attain high grades in your university, your research must be of equally high quality. It’s better to hire a writer to get your custom research paper written for money. Getting on the research on your own may be complex, especially when there are no custom topics. With these social work thesis topics, you have a lot of creative ideas to write your project on:

Evaluate the social impacts of bullying on children
Evaluate the long-term psychological influence of bullying
Discuss the danger of child abuse in foster care
Examine the psychological effects of abuse in disabled adults
Discuss the complexities around child labor
Give an overview of child labor scandal in any company of your choice
Examine the crisis of parenthood amongst immigrants
Examine the emotional consequences of loss on a family
Discuss the educational challenges of visually impaired learners
Evaluate the debate for and against abortion
Evaluate the crisis of trauma in foster kids in social care centers
Examine the consequence of displacement in war-torn areas
Discuss the psychological consequences on war-torn countries
Examine the literature on how to approach fatigue amongst social workers
Discuss the best way to approach structural racism in any sector of your choice
Examine the role of correctional facilities in correcting criminality
Basis of the American rehab system
Discuss two family systems theories and how they can be applied
Examine how juvenile delinquency affects children
Discuss rehabilitation centers as an isolation center
Examine the consequence of the lack of empathy amongst wardens
What are your thoughts about the death sentence?
Would you say that incarcerated people are doomed for life?
Comment on the role Romania prisoners play in their theatre Industry
Examine the role of empathy amongst social care workers
Discuss the role of empathy amongst counselors
Structural racism affect on Healthcare systems in the UK
Discuss the way foster homes can be made safer for kids
Examine how to protect kids from induced trauma due to displacement
Best ways to address how homelessness affects children’s academic strength
Examine how child abuse lead to academic Disability
Evaluate how child poverty leads to the rise in child crimes
Illustrate how sexual health education could help teenagers avoid unwanted pregnancy
Importance of therapists in maintaining a healthier mental system
Social reaction to AIDS in the 1980s and now
Impact of human trafficking on the society
Discuss the social implications of rape
Discuss the social implications of stigmatizing rape survivors
Evaluate the challenge of AIDS awareness
Discuss the growth in the challenges disabled people face in today’s civilized societies.

Human Services Research Paper Topics

Social workers attend to individual and community needs. The average social worker is dedicated first, to other people. This is why human services research paper topics are essential to choosing a resonating topic on how human existence is important before human challenges can be dealt with. If you want to impress your teachers, you can write on any of these:

Illustrate how a food bank could be of help to Americans
Examine the household policies of any two presidents and how they affected or helped the public
Discuss the need for therapy amongst welfare workers
Evaluate the practicality of resilience amongst weary social care workers
Discuss the challenges of juvenile delinquency in the UK
Illustrate how best it is to understand the effect of child abuse
Illustrate the best way to build real love amongst foster care kids
Critically review the challenges of homophobia in the UK
Critically review the challenges of homophobia in Africa
Comment on the criticism against Dave Chappelle on his LGTBQ comments
Discuss the factors that lead to violence amongst families
Discuss what spousal violence is
Examine the best method to attend to family cruelty
Best ways to show minority groups love
Examine the best way to reduce unemployment and its consequence
Discuss the loss of self-esteem in trafficked persons
Draw a comparison between incarceration and juvenile living
Discuss the problem of the US’s correctional facilities
Ways to invalidate bullying in schools
Examine the best way to address anxiety and panicking in kids.

Interesting Social Work Topics

There are a series of interesting subjects in social work. These are not necessarily subjects that will make you laugh, they are serious, and could even be controversial, but fascinating to understudy in social work. If you need interesting social work topics, consider these:

Choose three states and discuss the situation of juvenile delinquency there
Examine the logic fueling separation of adult and juvenile delinquents
Discuss the logic of calling depression a mental disorder
Impacts of dyslexia
Evaluate the contrast between Bipolar I and II
Examine the consequences of racism in America’s institutions
Discuss the factors that fuel racism in America
Evaluate the challenge of gender equality in the workplace
Factors leading to physical and emotional trauma amongst incarcerated pregnant women
Effects of alcohol abuse on children from violent homes
Examine the measures of social inclusion in departed societies
Discuss the solutions to drug abuse in America
Comment on the cases of prisoners accused of a crime after more than 2 decades
Comment on the psychological effects of being in jail
Discuss the effect of alcohol abuse on university students
Examine the challenge of social stigma after release from jail
Discuss the disposition of people to social care workers
Examine the stories behind the largest human trafficking network
Evaluate the challenges of modern slavery
Discuss the institutional remedies to avoid institutional slavery
Effects of child neglect on social lifestyle
Discuss why parents neglect their children
Examine the best recommendations towards healing for violent families
Examine the ethical conditions of modern workplaces
Critically review the effects of taking a child to child support
Discuss the best way to speak with a grieving person
Examine the factors motivating elder abuse
Evaluate the symptoms of grief
Discuss why emotional support is essential during grief counseling
Discuss the ethics of a counselor during support periods.

Controversial Topics In Social Work

You can as well consider controversial topics in social work for your next project or paper. These are also argumentative topics that may require you to take a stand and argue your sentiments. You can consider these topics.

Examine individual therapy and group therapy for autistic patients
Discuss the group discussion and role-play benefit in therapy amongst kids
Evaluate the measures to mitigate stereotypes against depressed persons
Discuss the best way to address stigma
Critically review PTSD amidst veterans
Discuss the set of people who are most susceptible to drug abuse
Evaluate the need to support alcohol-addicted families
Illustrate the best way to prevent drug addictions
Discuss the myths about substance abuse in middle age people
Examine the challenge of workaholics who have no time for family
Discuss the challenges faced during suicide prevention discussions
Evaluate the need for sensitization to halt trafficking
Discuss the role of social workers in ending civil wars
Discuss the role of social workers in countering bullying
Discuss the challenges facing support groups
Examine the functions of parents in approaching dyslexia
Discuss how to help build social resilience spirit in workers
Examine how to attend to panic for both adolescents and adults
Discuss the variety of child abuse in orphanages
Examine the variety of child abuse
Abuse the LGTBQ community face
Discuss the psychological consequences of human trafficking on traffickers
Critically review the common challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ in schools
Discuss ways to help antisocial students
Rationalize the reasons to adopt teenagers
Discuss the challenges with child-parent separation
Examine the challenges with welfare mothers and the factors exacerbating it
Discuss the major ways substance abuse impact parenting
Evaluate the best ways to approach trauma offer death in the family
Discuss the effects of alcoholism on the mental ability of individuals.

Social Work Essay Topics

As a field with its uniqueness, there are a variety of undiscussed topics. You don’t need to engage in long research or paper for some of these topics, you simply need to discuss them and drive public attention to them.

Examine the way of life and experiences of women existing in shelter homes
Discuss the experiences of inferior races in America and the challenge of the black people
Evaluate the level of racism to an Asian American person and a black American person and draw your conclusions
Discuss the environmental challenges that affect students’ academic abilities in schools
Discuss the sociological challenges that affect students lifestyle as well as their sense of self
Critically illustrate the psychological, social, emotional, and physical changes a pregnant woman experiences before and after childbirth
Critically review the psychological and emotional impact of low self-esteem
Challenges facing disabled people’s education
Discuss the effect of verbal and physical abuse in schools and how it affects concentration on class
Comment: should parents flog their kids, even for good reasons, and explain why it is normal or otherwise
Discuss the challenges physical abuse cause in a couple’s intimacy
Evaluate the category of sexual physical violence which is mutually agreed upon to spice up sexual experience
Critically analyze the role of inclusivity in improving social lifestyle
Discuss the most fundamental challenges that occur in interracial marriages
Analyze the role of religious diversity amongst social workers to promote religious Integration
Discuss the role of cultural diversity in the Workplace to achieve cultural integration into the broader society
Evaluate how the average white person victimize people of any minority group
Discuss the experiences of girls when they first see their menses: evaluate the panic or fear
Critically discuss the consequences of the high cost of housing in the UK
Critically analyze the negative effects of birth control policies on the UK
Critically analyze the consequences of the illegalization of abortion in any African country
Discuss how paying less for labor equate modern-day slavery
Examine the role of rehabilitation centers in Integrating healthier people
Discuss how teenage pregnancy affects the education and career of teenage mothers
Discuss the role of confinement in the family and its consequences
Evaluate what drug vulnerability means
Evaluate the causes of drug abuse in poor homes
Discuss how drugs are a means of survival for some addicts
Evaluate the long-term consequences of incarceration
Examine how hypnosis is an essential feature of therapy and argue if it should still be used during therapy sessions
Discuss the role of cognitive therapy in stabilizing people and its essence on foster care
Evaluate the challenges of misdiagnosis and how it affects mentally dysfunctional persons
Discuss the difference between undiagnosed depression and clinical depression: discuss the factors that lead to them and how they operate
Effects of being an immigrant in Poland
Review the circumstances immigrants exist in the UK
Compare and contrast the cost of living in two states and how it affects families
Critically discuss the role of the social worker in the 21st century
Critically analyze what child support means to unwilling parents
Analyze the ways of creating education and awareness for people with dyslexia
Discuss the factors that lead to social isolation amongst kids.

Social Work Research Topics Ideas

For your professional degree, you can discover existing topics to build on for your research. You can even discover new social work research ideas from the following:

Discuss therapy differences for kids and adults
Examine what leads to abuse
Discuss why countries have different ages of maturity
Strategies of reporting abuse
Evaluate the ways to prevent child abuse
Elucidate the method of developing social services
Review the need to work with HIV patients
Motivations to care for the homeless
Discuss the isolation of any community of your choice
Examine how poor financial abilities lead to alcoholism
Discuss the factors leading to the rise of rape
Examine sexual assault history in Hollywood
Discuss how to work with impaired people
Role of social workers in contributing to homelessness
Examine the best ways to protect sexually exploited kids
Discuss the best way to approach traumatized and trafficked persons
Challenges of low-income families during times of protests
Discuss the consequences of the BLM movement globally
Examine Government response to any social crisis of your choice
Evaluate how religious practices affect social work
Discuss the best ways to help low-income earners with therapy
Critically review any two digital therapy sites
Give a connection between welfare worker burnout and uninterested foster care mothers
Identify the best way to develop emotional intelligence
Discuss how the language barrier affect socialization
Evaluate why some people are reluctant to speak with therapists
Discuss the challenges facing mental health conditions today
Evaluate why morally inclined persons abuse people
Give a detailed overview of how surrogacy works
Discuss how mental health affects overall health
Discuss the best ways to raise children
Discuss the best way to live with a child with autism
Best way to integrate a child with a disability
Challenges rising from physical abuse
Examine the challenges mitigating against reduction in emotional abuse
Discuss the role of social workers in family abuse
Analyze the importance of recreational activities as therapy
Analyze how pedophiles process their thoughts
Analyze the mental conditions of sexual violators
Give an overview of the R. Kelly sexual crime case.

Social Work Topics For Presentation

If you want to get practical with your assignment or project, you can consider a presentation. Your presentation can cut across any of these:

Give a forensic analysis of how social work works
Analyze the history of social works
Study the trends one social work
Discuss the role of police in social work
Discuss the role of governments in social work
Analyze the importance of therapy for social workers
Analyze the essence of therapy for teenagers
Discuss the gap therapy covers in broken families
Evaluate cases of adult abuse
Analyze the consequences of drug abuse for adults
Discuss the struggles of marginalized groups
Examine the contemporary structure of social work
Discuss the emotional impact of rape
Analyze the role of juvenile delinquency in rehabilitation
Discuss how foster homes create safe spaces
Evaluate the transition to the LGTBQ community
Examine foster parenting in detail, including impacts
Discuss the consequences of living in low-cost neighborhoods
Examine the trauma of raped victims
Examine the role of social workers for drug addicts
Discuss the significance of free healthcare for a group of people, state which
Examine the strategies of integrating kids into society
Discuss what being antisocial mean
Identify the causes and consequences of Stockholm Syndrome
Critically express psychological effects of incest.

Need Help With Your Paper?

While you can create a top-notch essay or dissertation from these topics, you can choose to hire professional writers. ENL has the best US writers amongst whom are professors and teachers with years of research and writing experience. If you’re thinking “I need someone to do my research paper for me ,” look no further. ENL writers are based online. By exchanging conversations online, you can chill while these professionals create the best custom paper to earn you high grades in college or university at a cheap price. They write fast, avoid plagiarism, and will express your thoughts in their writings without exceeding your due date.

Social Work Dissertation Topics: 10+ Ideas To Get Started

by Antony W

June 8, 2024

Your social work dissertation is an essential component of your degree program. You must select appropriate social work dissertation topics based on your area of interest if you wish to write a comprehensive research work that you can easily defend.

In this post, we provide a list of 20+ social work dissertation ideas with options for social work study topics and social work project subjects. Therefore, if you are having trouble selecting social work dissertation ideas and social work project topics, you may seek our assistance.

To enhance the lives of many individuals, you must adopt a cognitive approach if you intend to pursue a career in the field of social work. You can start by exploring an issue in this segment and have yourself assessment on how effective you’d be in the social work field.

Social Work Dissertation Help

Writing a social work dissertation isn’t as easy. The dissertation is a long assignment, often between 100 to 300 pages long, with multiple sections that you must address. Given the intensity of the research, the project can be quite a challenge and, at any given moment, it might feel excessively overwhelming.

Fortunately, you can get the writing help necessary to complete the task on time.

At Help for Assessment, we value helping students to achieve academic excellence in all assignments, and we can help you complete your dissertation through our dissertation writing service . Whether you’ve chosen a social dissertation topic that’s easy to explore or you’ve decided to focus on a more challenging area, our writers are here to help.

What is Social Work?

Social work is a practice-based field that fosters social change, development, community cohesiveness, and the empowerment of individuals and groups. Understanding human growth, behavior, and the social, economic, and cultural structures and relationships is essential to the practice of social work.

Professionals in social workers who deal with families and institutions have contributed to and advanced of unemployment benefits, human rights, reduced psychological health stigma, and disability worker’s compensation.

There are typically three levels of social work practice: micro, mezzo, and macro. At each level, social work experts supply target groups with somewhat varied services.

At the micro level, social workers provide one-on-one, family, and small-group services to individuals dealing with a variety of socioeconomic problems. These may include housing assistance, treatment for substance misuse, and mental health therapy.

Mezzo social workers work with groups of individuals, such as in schools, prisons, hospitals, and communities. They may deal with students facing academic difficulties, people dealing with drug addiction, or patients who are in hospitals for long-term care.

Social work at the macro level comprises policy formulation, research, and community-based activities. At this level of practice, social workers are more likely to focus on and assist in addressing bigger societal concerns such as homelessness, substance misuse, housing, and others.

Social Work Dissertation Topics: 20+ Ideas to Consider for Your Research

The reaction of the social work profession to societal concerns
Examining instances in which gifts are utilized unethically and unfairly
The function of social workers in earthquake victim rescue processes
Knowledge of social circumstances and social issues are analyzed
Social work practitioners’ exposure to the dangers posed by epidemic zones
A study on the positive effects of social work on society and communities
Significant issues that arise while dealing with kidnapping victims’ children
The significance of social work in slum regions for domestic violence
Using systems theory and constructivism to investigate the link between social work and societal issues
Evaluating the legal rights of the families of social workers in vulnerable locations – the United Kingdom
Examining the effect of social work on the mental health of blind individuals
Helping stray animals can contribute to the improvement of living conditions – a qualitative investigation.
What are the primary causes of homelessness in the United Kingdom?
Values, conundrums, and political difficulties encountered by social workers
How may social workers contribute to constructive societal changes and advancements?
The function of social work in the mainstream development of low-income groups
How is social work helping to the resolution of social issues in developing nations?
The significance of openness and responsibility in the field of social work
Analyzing the socioeconomic problems that impact social workers’ roles.
The influence of technology on mass communication and its dissemination to the public
Based on qualitative investigation, examine the future of the publication.
The function of social workers in the development of children from violent households
Can social workers persuade individuals to act responsibly and morally?
The connection among sociology , social work, and social issues
What measures may social workers employ to assist the elderly as volunteers?
How can social workers expose societal issues and help to the development of remedies to lessen them?
Exist any relationships between race and the incidence of child abuse within families

How to Social Work Dissertation Topics

Consideration of the following when looking for the best dissertation topic for your social work research:

Choose a topic supported by one or more studies by U.S. or international research teams with strong article-related citation metrics, often published in reputable peer-reviewed academic journals .

The social work dissertation topic you choose should be practical. Theoretical research is vital, but nothing outdoes practical knowledge and effective intervention tactics. However, this characteristic may also rely on other variables, so for students, for instance, theoretical topics are acceptable.

You can also choose a dissertation topic that defies preconceptions. If you think about it, people are drawn to issues that challenge their preconceived assumptions, so such topics naturally attract attention.

It’s important to make sure that the social work dissertation topic that you choose to work on corresponds to current trends.

We know that not everything that is current merits consideration. However, there is a rationale for the emergence of trends.

Moreover, there are sometimes substantial benefits to diving into a field/subject that was only recently founded.

We hope this guide was useful in helping you find the best social work dissertation topic to work on. If you’re having a difficult time with your assignment, or you don’t know where to begin with your research, take advantage of our writing service and let us help you get the work done on time.

About the author

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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Social Work Research Topics List

June 16, 2023

Looking for inspiration for your social work research paper? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of social work research topic ideas to help you find your perfect research topic and start your paper . From exploring social justice and inequality issues to assessing the impact of social media on mental health, these topics are bound to spark new ideas and get your creative juices flowing. So, whether you’re interested in clinical social work or community practice, read on for inspiration and begin your research journey today!

Social Work Research: What It Deals With

Social work research is connected with collecting information and data on social issues. This process aims to identify the causes and solutions to difficulties that affect individuals, families, and communities. Social workers use the data collected from their research to make their clients’ lives better.

There are many different types of this type of research, including:

Qualitative analysis, examining behavior patterns in a group or individual through interviews or observations. The information gathered during these interviews and observations can be used to determine how people react to certain situations, such as poverty, abuse, or neglect.
Quantitative analysis gathers numerical data about a group or individual through surveys or questionnaires. The information gathered from these surveys can be used to determine how many people have certain behaviors or characteristics like drug addiction, alcohol abuse, or depression.
Professionals may also use other types of techniques such as ethnographic studies (observing behavior in its natural setting), secondary data analysis (analyzing existing data sets), meta-analysis (comparing results across studies) and experimental designs (testing one variable at a time).

How to Choose a Topic for Your Research?

Choosing a topic is one of the most challenging tasks for students. These topics can be chosen from various fields, such as human behavior, mental health, and social norms.

When choosing a research topic, you need to take into account the following:

What is your field of study?
What do you want to achieve by doing this research?
Are you looking for a career in research, or do you want to use this as part of your course requirement?

To make this process easier and help you choose wisely, use the best AI tool for academic writing . It uses current trends and how they relate to your field. It would make your college and research work more focused and efficient.

Social Work Research Topics for College Students

The impact of childhood trauma on mental health outcomes in adulthood
Examining the effectiveness of community-based interventions for reducing domestic violence
The intersection of race and poverty in accessing mental health services
The role of social support in promoting positive outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders
Understanding the experiences of foster care youth transitioning to adulthood
The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for reducing anxiety and depression
Examining the impact of social media on adolescent mental health
Addressing health disparities in marginalized communities through social work interventions
The role of social work in addressing homelessness and housing insecurity
Microaggressions` influence on mental health outcomes for people of color
Understanding the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care
The effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for survivors of sexual assault
Examining the impact of adverse childhood experiences on parenting behaviors
Addressing the mental health needs of refugees and immigrants in the United States
The role of social work in promoting justice and anti-racism in healthcare
The experiences of older adults in long-term care facilities
Examining the effectiveness of restorative justice practices in reducing recidivism rates
The mental health needs of individuals with disabilities
The impact of poverty on child development and academic outcomes
Understanding the experiences of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system

Social Work Topics for Presentation

How do social workers deal with homelessness and housing insecurity?
The impact of social media on well-being
Self-care importance for social workers
The mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth in schools
Social work interventions for supporting individuals with substance use disorders
Understanding the impact of adverse childhood experiences on mental health outcomes in adulthood
Cultural competence in social work
The role of social workers in promoting justice and equity in healthcare
Trauma-informed care in social work practice
The experiences of children in foster care and how social workers can support their well-being
Supporting people with disabilities in accessing services
Mental health interventions for refugees and immigrants
Addressing the unique mental health needs of military veterans
The influence of racism and discrimination on mental health outcomes for people of color
Social work interventions for addressing domestic violence
Supporting caregivers of individuals with chronic illnesses
Social work interventions for addressing bullying in schools
The role of social workers in promoting restorative justice practices

Social Work Research Interesting Topics

The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and social work practice
Mindfulness-based interventions in reducing stress and anxiety among social workers
The role of social workers in addressing racial disparities in healthcare
Trauma-informed care in promoting recovery among survivors of abuse
Social media and youth mental health and wellbeing
The role of social workers in promoting access to affordable housing
Peer support programs for promoting recovery among individuals with substance use disorders
The influence of poverty on child development
The application of restorative justice practices in reducing recidivism rates among juvenile offenders
The role of social workers in promoting access to healthcare for undocumented immigrants
The application of cognitive-behavioral therapy for reducing symptoms of depression among individuals with chronic illnesses
The impact of domestic violence on mental health and the role of social workers in addressing this issue
The effectiveness of school-based social work interventions in promoting academic and social success among at-risk youth
The role of social workers in promoting access to care for rural communities
The impact of parental incarceration on child development and the role of social workers in providing support to affected families
Group therapy for promoting recovery among individuals with eating disorders
The influence of homelessness on mental health and the role of social workers in addressing this issue
Animal-assisted therapy for promoting emotional wellbeing among individuals with disabilities
The role of social workers in promoting access to education for children in foster care
The impact of social isolation on mental health and the role of social workers in addressing this issue

Controversial Topics for Social Work Research

The effectiveness of faith-based social work interventions
The impact of mandatory reporting laws on the relationship between social workers and clients
The ethical implications of social workers engaging in political activism
The use of medication-assisted treatment for people with opioid use disorders
The role of social workers in the criminal justice system, including working with incarcerated individuals and advocating for prison reform
The use of seclusion and restraint in mental health facilities and its potential impact on clients’ mental health
The ethics of using deception in social work research
The potential bias in child welfare decision-making processes
The use of teletherapy in social work practice and its effectiveness compared to traditional in-person therapy
The influence of mandatory minimum sentences on humans with substance use disorders
The ethics of social workers’ involvement in end-of-life decision-making processes
The application of cognitive enhancers in social work practice, such as with individuals with ADHD
The potential for bias in social work assessments and diagnoses, particularly with regards to race and culture
The ethics of social workers engaging in conversion therapy practices
The impact of welfare policies on marginalized communities, particularly with regards to poverty and homelessness
The ethics of social workers’ involvement in immigration enforcement and detention
The potential for conflict of interest in social workers’ involvement in child custody and adoption cases
The connection between social work interventions and the family dynamics of persons with mental illness
The potential for bias in social workers’ involvement in the special education system
The ethics of social workers engaging in dual relationships with clients, such as with friends or family members

Social Work Research Topics in Human Services

The impact of human service interventions on the well-being of individuals experiencing homelessness
The effectiveness of social work interventions in addressing food insecurity in low-income communities
Understanding the barriers to accessing mental health services for individuals with disabilities and the role of human services in addressing these barriers
The influence of trauma on the mental health of refugees and immigrants, and the role of human services in providing trauma-informed care
The effectiveness of human service interventions in addressing the opioid epidemic
The connection between human services and improving educational outcomes for at-risk youth
Addressing the mental health needs of individuals experiencing domestic violence through human services interventions
The role of human services in supporting individuals with chronic illnesses and their families
The experiences of older adults in human service settings and the role of human services in promoting their well-being
The impact of human services on the social and emotional development of children in foster care
Addressing the unique mental health needs of LGBTQ+ individuals through human services interventions
The role of human services in promoting restorative justice practices in the criminal justice system
The effectiveness of human service interventions in addressing substance use disorders in marginalized communities
The impact of human services on reducing poverty and income inequality
The experiences of individuals with mental illness in human service settings and the role of human services in promoting their recovery
The effectiveness of human services interventions in addressing child abuse and neglect
Addressing the mental health needs of military veterans through human services
The influence of human services on promoting social justice and equity in healthcare
Understanding the experiences of individuals with developmental disabilities in human service settings and the role of human services in promoting their independence
The influence of social determinants of health on mental health outcomes through human services interventions

What Difficulties You Can Face Conducting Your Research

Social work research is a particular field involving a lot of hard work and dedication. It is not something that just anyone can accomplish, but only by those who have the required skills and expertise. However, even with all of these skills and expertise, there are still some things that you cannot do on your own. This is where we come in! Our custom writing service is here to assist you with your project.

Writers in Custom Writing are well-versed in this type of research, which means they can provide you with high-quality content that will satisfy all of your requirements. All our writers have been carefully selected based on their qualifications and experience; they know exactly what they are doing and how they need to do it. They also have an extensive knowledge base in this field, allowing them to produce quality work in no time. If you want to get the best results possible, you should contact us immediately!

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These databases have provided lists of topics that you can browse right from their homepages. Click a topic to find a variety of resources, which is a great way to jumpstart your research.

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NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS.gov) Topic ideas can be found by clicking Divisions .
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Thesis and Capstone Requirements for Social Work Programs

Most social work programs culminate in a final capstone or thesis. Usually, students complete a capstone or thesis in their final quarter, semester, or year of study, but some may begin preparing for the project weeks or even months in advance. Schools assign capstones and theses to assess a prospective social worker’s ability to apply classroom concepts in a professional social work setting.

In general, both kinds of projects require students to undergo internships or complete field work in a social work role. Oftentimes, students must critically analyze a social justice or human rights issue relevant to their field experience. Alternatively, students may offer potential solutions to problems their employers face. In combining research with field work, social work programs also prepare graduates to transition from the classroom to the workplace.

Students can complete their capstones or theses in a diverse range of settings. Common placements for both projects include clinical or hospital environments, public policy organizations, and nonprofits. Within these core settings, students work with underserved populations and address issues such as systemic racism, economic inequality, access to healthcare and education, and substance abuse.

This guide outlines the similarities and differences between the social work capstone and thesis, and provides general guidelines for both projects.

What’s the Difference Between a Capstone and a Thesis in Social Work Programs?

Both a capstone and thesis are supervised research projects that include a practicum or internship in a professional social work setting. These projects also include a written essay synthesizing the student’s internship experience and applying relevant lessons from the social work curriculum. At the end of the process, students give a final presentation.

However, significant differences exist between the two options. Social work bachelor’s students usually complete a capstone, while social work master’s students usually complete a thesis. In general, a capstone demonstrates a student’s ability to apply classroom principles in a professional setting. By contrast, a thesis combines internship work with original, publishable research. Thus, while students prove their mastery of social work theory in completing a capstone, students contribute new ideas to the field in writing a thesis.

What Is a Capstone Like in Social Work Programs?

Social work capstone format.

Typically, a social work capstone is a final project embedded within a required research or practicum course. Field work for the capstone project requires a time commitment of one quarter to one academic year, with many students beginning their practicum or internship experience the summer before their senior year. Capstone projects include extended written components, usually an essay of 30 to 40 pages. In the written portion, students identify an issue or need at their field experience site. They then research the topic and suggest potential solutions. Students often present their papers to an audience of their professors and peers. Most capstones are individual projects, but some programs ask students to collaborate.

Choosing Your Social Work Capstone Topic

Since the capstone incorporates an internship in a social work setting, it also provides an opportunity to network with industry professionals and launch a post-graduation career. As such, students’ professional goals within social work should determine their capstone focus. After choosing a topic, students hone their research goals with the help of faculty advisers, professors who typically have work experience relevant to each student’s interests. Capstone topics vary depending on the program, but students often analyze current human rights or social justice issues such as multicultural family systems, health and wellness, public policy, and sustainable development.

Completing Your Social Work Capstone

While each social work program maintains unique capstone requirements, the project’s timeline typically follows a similar sequence. Prior to securing a field work site, students attend informational forums in which instructors explain field work expectations and available partnership locations. Students apply for field work locations that most closely align with their academic interests and professional goals, and professors assign sites accordingly. Field work usually takes place in social service institutions such as hospitals, children’s welfare agencies, or housing transition programs. Occasionally, students can complete capstone research in their current workplace if they already hold employment in an eligible social work setting.

Once students start field work, they meet regularly with advisers, either one-on-one or alongside a group of peers. During these meetings, students analyze their field work experiences, identify problems or needs in a given area, and design a research topic that offers potential solutions. Usually, social work interns also work with a field site supervisor. This supervisor acts as a mentor and ensures that students meet expectations and log the required number of hours.

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Presenting your social work capstone.

Most social work students present their capstone projects in front of a panel of professors and peers. Capstone panels range in size from a few faculty members to audiences of 30 to 40 people. Occasionally, presentations open to the public. Since capstone presentations cover research data, panels generally encourage visual aids, such as PowerPoint or Prezi, to illustrate measurable statistics. During the presentation, students describe their internship role, analyze the communities this internship served, and reflect on the potential solutions to problems they encountered.

How Is a Social Work Capstone Graded?

Students receive a grading rubric at the beginning of their capstone course outlining the program’s unique assessment requirements. While each program determines the success of a capstone differently, professors usually assess how well a student develops a professional identity, engages in critical thinking, conducts research, and cultivates an ethical practice serving human rights or social justice. Assessors grade a capstone on an “A-F,” or 4.0, scale. Students who fail can occasionally appeal their grades, retake the capstone seminar, or edit their research essay.

What Is a Thesis Like in Social Work Programs?

Social work thesis format.

Most master’s programs include a social work thesis. For the thesis, students complete in-depth research or data collection, write an extended essay of about 50 pages, and present an oral defense of results. Typically, master’s students conduct research on a topic of interest while participating in a field work placement or internship. Candidates then outline their research in a written thesis. This process requires at least a year of work, and students usually complete thesis projects individually. Occasionally, however, graduate students’ theses are collective projects that contribute to larger, faculty-led research studies. In such cases, a group of several students and faculty members conduct research together.

Choosing Your Social Work Thesis Topic

Like the capstone, a thesis offers the chance to conduct academic research while earning relevant work experience and networking with social work professionals. Students should communicate with a faculty member or professor who shares their professional or academic experiences and interests. With the help of their adviser, students can determine their research interests and find field work placement sites.

Though thesis topics vary widely, students often address human rights and social justice concerns they encounter during clinical, public policy, or nonprofit work. Rather than relying on established claims, theses propose new ways of understanding and combating social inequality. Social work thesis topics grapple with issues such as the efficacy of community centers in impoverished neighborhoods, strategies for palliative care social work, and success rates for bully prevention programs.

Completing Your Master of Social Work Thesis

Before designing a thesis, students often spend at least one semester, or two quarters, working in their chosen field placement site. During this process, master’s students work alongside a field supervisor, who regularly conducts one-on-one evaluation meetings to measure the student’s progress. The advisers also record student hours. Depending on a program’s requirements, master’s students spend 15 to 30 hours a week at their placement sites. This experience is crucial to identifying eligible social work thesis ideas.

After this initial work, students partner with a faculty adviser to identify a narrow research topic addressing a question or problem in their field. Students form this question by synthesizing their field work with an in-depth review of relevant literature and case studies from peer-reviewed sources. Finally, master’s students present their topic of inquiry to either their adviser or an advisory committee, usually in the form of a short, ten-page summary of their research interests. If the adviser approves the topic, students then begin formally collecting data and writing the thesis.

Presenting Your Social Work Thesis

The master of social work thesis presentation generally takes the form of a formal thesis defense. During the defense, master’s students present their research and conclusions to a faculty panel consisting of at least three professors, including the student’s faculty adviser. Similar to the capstone presentation, thesis defenses often include visual aids such as PowerPoint or Prezi presentations. The visual aid is especially important if the presentation involves graphs, pie charts, or other mediums of data analysis. Only the faculty panel typically attends a formal thesis defense, but master’s students often present their findings again in informal sessions open to the university community.

How Is a Social Work Thesis Graded?

The thesis should display a student’s ability to conduct independent research and meet the demands of a professional social work position. Professors grade a student’s formation of research questions, analysis of secondary literature, collection of data, and organization of research in a coherent report. Advisers always state their expectations in advance of the deadline. Students who don’t meet these goals can occasionally rewrite the thesis, but failure seriously endangers and delays degree conferral. Professors award grades based on a “A-F,” or 4.0, scale. Passing projects generally receive an “A,” while underdeveloped projects receive failing grades.

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Starting the research process

How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow

Published on November 11, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on November 20, 2023.

Choosing your dissertation topic is the first step in making sure your research goes as smoothly as possible. When choosing a topic, it’s important to consider:

Your institution and department’s requirements
Your areas of knowledge and interest
The scientific, social, or practical relevance
The availability of data and resources
The timeframe of your dissertation
The relevance of your topic

You can follow these steps to begin narrowing down your ideas.

Step 1: check the requirements, step 2: choose a broad field of research, step 3: look for books and articles, step 4: find a niche, step 5: consider the type of research, step 6: determine the relevance, step 7: make sure it’s plausible, step 8: get your topic approved, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about dissertation topics.

The very first step is to check your program’s requirements. This determines the scope of what it is possible for you to research.

Is there a minimum and maximum word count?
When is the deadline?
Should the research have an academic or a professional orientation?
Are there any methodological conditions? Do you have to conduct fieldwork, or use specific types of sources?

Some programs have stricter requirements than others. You might be given nothing more than a word count and a deadline, or you might have a restricted list of topics and approaches to choose from. If in doubt about what is expected of you, always ask your supervisor or department coordinator.

Start by thinking about your areas of interest within the subject you’re studying. Examples of broad ideas include:

Twentieth-century literature
Economic history
Health policy

To get a more specific sense of the current state of research on your potential topic, skim through a few recent issues of the top journals in your field. Be sure to check out their most-cited articles in particular. For inspiration, you can also search Google Scholar , subject-specific databases , and your university library’s resources.

As you read, note down any specific ideas that interest you and make a shortlist of possible topics. If you’ve written other papers, such as a 3rd-year paper or a conference paper, consider how those topics can be broadened into a dissertation.

After doing some initial reading, it’s time to start narrowing down options for your potential topic. This can be a gradual process, and should get more and more specific as you go. For example, from the ideas above, you might narrow it down like this:

Twentieth-century literature Twentieth-century Irish literature Post-war Irish poetry
Economic history European economic history German labor union history
Health policy Reproductive health policy Reproductive rights in South America

All of these topics are still broad enough that you’ll find a huge amount of books and articles about them. Try to find a specific niche where you can make your mark, such as: something not many people have researched yet, a question that’s still being debated, or a very current practical issue.

At this stage, make sure you have a few backup ideas — there’s still time to change your focus. If your topic doesn’t make it through the next few steps, you can try a different one. Later, you will narrow your focus down even more in your problem statement and research questions .

There are many different types of research , so at this stage, it’s a good idea to start thinking about what kind of approach you’ll take to your topic. Will you mainly focus on:

Collecting original data (e.g., experimental or field research)?
Analyzing existing data (e.g., national statistics, public records, or archives)?
Interpreting cultural objects (e.g., novels, films, or paintings)?
Comparing scholarly approaches (e.g., theories, methods, or interpretations)?

Many dissertations will combine more than one of these. Sometimes the type of research is obvious: if your topic is post-war Irish poetry, you will probably mainly be interpreting poems. But in other cases, there are several possible approaches. If your topic is reproductive rights in South America, you could analyze public policy documents and media coverage, or you could gather original data through interviews and surveys .

You don’t have to finalize your research design and methods yet, but the type of research will influence which aspects of the topic it’s possible to address, so it’s wise to consider this as you narrow down your ideas.

It’s important that your topic is interesting to you, but you’ll also have to make sure it’s academically, socially or practically relevant to your field.

Academic relevance means that the research can fill a gap in knowledge or contribute to a scholarly debate in your field.
Social relevance means that the research can advance our understanding of society and inform social change.
Practical relevance means that the research can be applied to solve concrete problems or improve real-life processes.

The easiest way to make sure your research is relevant is to choose a topic that is clearly connected to current issues or debates, either in society at large or in your academic discipline. The relevance must be clearly stated when you define your research problem .

Before you make a final decision on your topic, consider again the length of your dissertation, the timeframe in which you have to complete it, and the practicalities of conducting the research.

Will you have enough time to read all the most important academic literature on this topic? If there’s too much information to tackle, consider narrowing your focus even more.

Will you be able to find enough sources or gather enough data to fulfil the requirements of the dissertation? If you think you might struggle to find information, consider broadening or shifting your focus.

Do you have to go to a specific location to gather data on the topic? Make sure that you have enough funding and practical access.

Last but not least, will the topic hold your interest for the length of the research process? To stay motivated, it’s important to choose something you’re enthusiastic about!

Most programmes will require you to submit a brief description of your topic, called a research prospectus or proposal .

Remember, if you discover that your topic is not as strong as you thought it was, it’s usually acceptable to change your mind and switch focus early in the dissertation process. Just make sure you have enough time to start on a new topic, and always check with your supervisor or department.

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

Sampling methods
Simple random sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling
Likert scales
Reproducibility

Statistics

Null hypothesis
Statistical power
Probability distribution
Effect size
Poisson distribution

Research bias

Optimism bias
Cognitive bias
Implicit bias
Hawthorne effect
Anchoring bias
Explicit bias

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

Researchability
Feasibility and specificity
Relevance and originality

All research questions should be:

Focused on a single problem or issue
Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
Specific enough to answer thoroughly
Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

You can assess information and arguments critically by asking certain questions about the source. You can use the CRAAP test , focusing on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.

Ask questions such as:

Who is the author? Are they an expert?
Why did the author publish it? What is their motivation?
How do they make their argument? Is it backed up by evidence?

A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.

Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.

The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.

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McCombes, S. & George, T. (2023, November 20). How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow. Scribbr. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/dissertation-topic/

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Social Work as a Human Rights Profession: An Action Framework

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Didier Reynaert, Siebren Nachtergaele, Nadine De Stercke, Hildegard Gobeyn, Rudi Roose, Social Work as a Human Rights Profession: An Action Framework, The British Journal of Social Work , Volume 52, Issue 2, March 2022, Pages 928–945, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab083

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Human rights are foundational to social work, as recognised in the global definition, leading many to consider social work a human rights profession. Although human rights has become an important compass for social work, comprehensive frameworks for understanding the ‘practice’ of human rights in social work are still limited. Only recently attempts have been made to fill this gap. This article seeks to continue these efforts and contribute to a better understanding of how social work constructs, deconstructs and reconstructs ideas of human rights in daily practice. We investigated the following research question: ‘How do social workers “act” when using human rights as a framework for practice?’ We used a qualitative research design consisting of ethnographic research and focus groups, with both social workers and service-users participating. Based on our research, we developed five building blocks for an action framework for human rights in social work: (i) systemworld-oriented action; (ii) lifeworld-oriented action; (iii) participatory action; (iv) joined-up action and (v) politicised action. These building blocks give a comprehensive account for the discursive practice of human rights in social work.

Human rights are foundational to social work, as recognised in the global definition, leading many to consider social work a human rights profession ( Healy, 2008 ; Staub-Bernasconi, 2016 ; Mapp et al. , 2019 ). Staub-Bernasconi (2016) , together with Gatenio Gabel (2015) , among others, acknowledges the historical connection of social work with human rights. In recent years, the recognition of social work as a human rights profession gained renewed attention in social work scholarship. In his book ‘ Practicing rights. Human rights-based approaches to social work practice ’, Androff (2016) makes a comprehensive account of the state of human rights in social work. He shows how (inter)national social work organisations adopted human rights in their codes of ethics, how social work scholars increasingly published books and articles on human rights or how social work education developed a range of training materials and educational programmes on human rights. Based on his analysis, Androff concludes that ‘The growth of scholarship and education focused on human rights suggests that the field is turning towards human rights, rediscovering its rights-based roots. It is now undeniable that there is a consensus that human rights are important and relevant to social work.’ ( Androff, 2016 , p. 10). These observations are in line with conclusions of Cubillos-Vega (2017) , who conducted a study on the scientific output on human rights in social work based on articles published in international indexed journals between 2000 and 2015. She notes that in recent years, the academic output on social work and human rights gradually increased. However, Cubillos-Vega’s (2017) study also reveals that published articles were primarily of theoretical nature. From the fifty-seven articles analysed, hardly one-third (sixteen) were of an empirical type. This trend is striking, Cubillos-Vega argues, because of the nature of the discipline of social work, taking a position between theory and practice. Already in 2012, Ife came to a similar conclusion: ‘Much of the academic debate about human rights remains at the theoretical level; less has been written about the practice of human rights. … There is little articulation of what it means in practice for professionals to claim that their work is based on human rights, and so human rights remain a “nice idea” rather than a solid foundation for the development of practice theories and methodologies.’ ( Ife, 2012 , pp. 10–11). Despite the ground-breaking work of several pioneers in the domain of social work and human rights (e.g. Reichert, 2003 ; Wronka, 2008 ; Ife, 2009 , 2012 ; Lundy, 2011 ), the practice of human right still remains a black box. To date, social work scholarship insufficiently succeed to gain practical knowledge showing how social workers ‘act’ when using the framework of human rights. Together with Ife, we acknowledge the presumption that human rights in social work have a discursive character, as they need to be permanently constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed throughout social work practice. ‘Social workers need to see themselves as active participants in this discursive process, and indeed social work practice itself can be seen as part of the ongoing process of the reconstruction of human rights. It is partly through social work practice that human rights are operationalised, and hence defined.’ ( Ife, 2012 , p. 133). Social work should recognise its actorship or agency in constructing human rights and social work scholarship should conscientiously scrutinise this construction process of human rights through social work practice.

Recent launches in social work scholarship rose to this challenge. In 2015, the SpringerBriefs in Rights-Based Approaches to Social Work were launched. The series aims to develop a social work practice grounded in human rights by presenting and reflecting on new methods ( Gatenio Gabel, 2015 ). The Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, established in 2016, has similar aims. In the inaugural issue, the editors-in-chief state that the journal ‘offers the opportunity for educators, practitioners, administrators, and students in this and related disciplines to have a voice and to expand their knowledge base on issues within human rights practice, knowledge of human rights tools, and to develop skills practicing from a human rights perspective’ ( Gatenio Gabel and Mapp, 2016 , p. 1). Additionally, several social work scholars have been developing practice approaches for human rights in social work. Androff (2016 , 2018 ), for instance, seeks to integrate the five-principles framework of human rights (human dignity, non-discrimination, participation, transparency and accountability) into the social work arena. According to Androff, this framework can offer an integrative account across a wide range of social work practices (see also Mapp et al. , 2019 ). One step further is the proposal of McPherson ( McPherson, 2015a ; Mapp et al. , 2019 ; McPherson and Abell, 2020 ), which contains a comprehensive framework for human rights practice in social work (HRPSW). It comprises three pillars of practice: a human rights lens, human rights methods and human rights goals. McPherson (2015a ) explains that the HRPSW model can be useful for both social work practice and social work education. What these practice models demonstrate is the increased academic interest in practice approaches of human rights in social work ( McPherson, 2015b ).

In this article, we build upon these efforts and present an action framework for human rights in social work. Our action framework expands the above mentioned models in an important way. It provides an understanding of human rights in social work in the context of a different welfare regime. Both the studies of Androff and McPherson are USA based, thereby confirming Cubillos-Vega’s (2017) observation of an Anglo-Saxon hegemony in social work scholarship on human rights. However, different social welfare regimes show different traditions of social work ( Lorenz, 2001 , 2008 ), associated with different understandings of human rights ( Alseth, 2020 ). Our study was conducted in Belgium, which is generally conceived as a conservative welfare state, distinct from the liberal welfare regime of the USA. Conservative welfare regimes have a certain tradition with social rights in particular. Additionally, conservative welfare regimes are characterised by a welfare state architecture of corporatism, balancing civil society’s interest and state power ( Esping-Andersen 1990 ; Lorenz, 2001 ; Dean, 2002 ). It is within this corporatist structure that human rights take shape with social workers developing a human right-based practice.

Because of the open character of our research question (‘How does social workers act when using human rights as a framework for practice?’), we chose a qualitative research design ( Shaw and Holland, 2014 ; Carey, 2012 ), developed in two parts. The first part consists of ethnographic research; the second, of focus groups.

Ethnographic research

Ethnographic research allows one to understand complex practices in their ‘natural setting’ ( D’Cruz and Jones, 2004 ) by being ‘ involved in the ongoing, daily world of the people being studied’ ( Fielding, 2008 , p. 269). Being part of and participating in human-rights-based practices in social work allows the ethnographer to get to know the logic, dynamics and meanings behind these practices. For this study, collaboration was set up with one of the eight regional institutions for community development in Flanders, Belgium. These institutions are recognised and subsidised by the Flemish government through the 1991 Act on Community Development. The overall mission of the institutions for community development is to contribute to realising the right to a decent life for people living in vulnerable life conditions. The institutions for community development explicitly use human rights as a framework to realise their mission. In particular, they focus on social rights as they are recognised in the Belgian Constitution: the right to decent housing, the right to education, the right to social security, the right to health care, the right to work, the right to a healthy living environment and the right to cultural and social development. The participatory approach is typical for the work of the institutions for community development. They are not working just ‘for’, but above all ‘with’ people living in vulnerable life conditions. Therefore, the institutions for community development are an interesting case for investigating the meaning of social work as a human rights profession. Our research took place in the institution for community development in East Flanders, one of the five Flemish provinces in Belgium. In collaboration with the institution, we decided to select two human rights domains to study: housing and education. These domains could be considered as exemplary to study social work as a human rights profession.

Research methods used in ethnographic research can be very diverse. For this study, we used a documentary review, participant observation and conversation-style interviews with key informants ( D’Cruz and Jones, 2004 ). For the documentary review, we used documents produced by social workers who are active in the institution for community development. These documents gave us an insight into the work of the institution regarding the role of social work in ‘doing’ human rights. Policy notes, minutes of meetings, annual reports, etc. were all considered. Because in ethnographic research, it is important to understand the particular historical and socio-cultural context of the practices being researched ( Bryman, 2012 ), additional documents produced outside the institution for community development were selected. They were used to develop an environmental analysis in order to ‘capture’ the work of the institution in relation to the broader policy context (demographic data, a ‘map’ of the available welfare organisations, the history of particular neighbourhoods, etc.).

For the participant observation, the relevant activities to understand the work of the institution for community development were selected in mutual consultation with a ‘gatekeeper’ ( Fielding, 2008 ) of the institution. Gradually, the researcher also spontaneously took part in a variety of activities. Participation by the researcher was always overt (see Bryman, 2012 ). Field notes were kept during or directly after the participant observation. These field notes took the form of detailed descriptions of particular events and of people’s actions in these events, as well as the researcher’s initial reflections on these events. In total, participant observations took four months and more than 400 h. Time was divided equally between the domains of education and housing.

The third method we used was conversation-style interviews with key informants. In order to guarantee the validity of the observations, provisional ideas on the findings, striking observations or remaining questions were ‘shared with the member’s world’ ( Fielding, 2008 ) and checked. These ‘ethnographic interviews’ often took the form of ‘interviews on the spot’ and gave a deeper understanding of the practice being studied. For both education and housing, 26 people participated in an interview (total n = 52). In the case of education, the group consisted of eight community development workers, twelve social workers from partner organisations (civil servants from the city, school social workers, school directors, social workers from the public centre for social welfare [PCSW], social workers from poverty-related organisations, etc.) and six service-users from the institution for community development. The service-users all had a background of living in poverty, and were selected as members of a parent group from a local school for primary education.

In the case of housing, the participants were six community development workers, eleven social workers from partner organisations (civil servants from the city, social workers from the social housing company, social workers from the PCSW, social workers from poverty-related organisations, etc.) and nine service-users. The service-users were selected based on their participation in the working group on housing that is organised by the institution for community development. This working group consists of people who all face problems with regard to housing. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. The researchers had no personal connection whatsoever with the institution for community development. The only professional link that the researchers had with the research context was expertise in the domain of community development and encounters with representatives of the institution in the context of education-related activities (e.g. internships).

Focus groups

In the second part of the study, focus groups were set up. While the general aim of a focus group is to discuss a specific topic ( Bryman, 2012 ), we had an additional 2-fold goal. First, we wanted to flesh out several issues that were not clear after the ethnographic research (deepening). Second, we wanted to explore whether the findings of our ethnographic research that took place in the context of community development were applicable in other domains of social work (broadening). We chose focus groups because they allow for creating rich data, enabling in-depth analysis. We selected people with a more expert profile in social work and human rights. The selection criteria used for participants were (i) being familiar with human rights in a social work context and (ii) having a generalist view on social work practice or policy. Participants from the focus group were senior staff members of various social work organisations, as well as lecturers and professors who teach social work at universities and universities of applied sciences in Flanders. Four focus groups of four to six people were organised (total n = 18). In addition, seven in-depth interviews were organised with experts who, because of practical considerations, were not able to attend the focus groups. All the focus groups were led by two people: the researcher who conducted the ethnographic research and whose role it was to bring up the content for discussion and a supervisor who was the moderator of the focus group. Each focus group lasted approximately an hour and a half, and each was organised around three statements: (i) Participatory action, as a foundation of a human rights-based approach in social work, can also exclude people; (ii) a human rights-based approach in social work contributes to individualisation and responsibilisation and (iii) a human rights-based approach that starts from rules and laws (a top-down perspective) obstructs an approach that starts from the needs of people (a bottom-up perspective). The discussion in the focus groups was organised based on the five-stage model proposed by Cronin (2008) : (1) introduction; (2) opening; (3) introductory statement; (4) key questions and (5) ending questions. Both the focus group discussions and interviews were audiotaped and transcribed.

Ethics statement

The study was approved and funded by the Research Council of the HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts. It was carried out in collaboration with Ghent University in compliance with the ethical standards of both the institutions. Informed consent was obtained from all of the participants after an extensive explanation of the research project.

Data analysis

For the data analysis, an inductive approach was chosen ( Hodkinsons, 2008 ). More specifically, a thematic analysis was done on the materials obtained from the ethnographic research. The analysis was executed in two steps by the two first authors. In the first step, both authors separately analysed the same six interviews (two community development workers, two social workers form partner organisations and two service-users) for each domain (education and housing). The analysis was based on the six-step model developed by Braun and Clarke (2006 ; see also Teater, 2017 ). Initial codes were assigned to the materials and afterwards they were grouped around several themes or ‘building blocks’. To answer the question of how social work acts when using human rights, we were looking for themes or building blocks that constitute a comprehensive action-framework for human rights in social work. We were particularly looking for different or even conflicting interpretations or constructions of human rights by social work, as these different interpretations could clearly demonstrate the action component of our framework. After individual analysis by the two authors, the results were pooled and discussed. This working method increases the inter-rater reliability among the researchers ( Oluwatayo, 2012 ). The result of this first step was a first draft of an action framework for human rights in social work. In the second step, the second author continued the analysis of the remaining interviews and also analysed the documentary review and the participant observations.

Although the analysis was primarily data-driven, we, as researchers with an interest in social work and human rights, could not disengage from our pre-existing knowledge. As Braun and Clarke explain, ‘data are not coded in an epistemological vacuum’ (2006 , p. 14). So the research context of community development coloured our data to a certain extent. As explained earlier, the community development organisations explicitly use human rights as a framework for their practice. In recent years, they acquired a great deal of expertise in the field of human rights, which has been reflected in numerous reports, memoranda and suchlike. Furthermore, as social work is a practice characterised by interconnectedness with local communities, working with vulnerable people, both at the micro-level of individual support and at the macro-level of structural change, it is no coincidence that related themes emerged from the data. Altogether, the first phase analysis yielded five themes or building blocks for an action framework for human rights in social work: (i) systemworld-oriented action, (ii) lifeworld-oriented action, (iii) participatory action, (iv) joined-up action and (v) politicised action. In the next step, these findings were presented to all the authors and discussed. This did not result in any adjustments at the level of themes, but it did result in some changes to the topics included under each building block. The remaining points of discussion and things that were unclear were taken to the focus groups. After the focus groups were held, the same procedure was followed: the four transcribed focus groups and seven additional interviews were analysed by the two first authors, and then discussed with all the authors, until consensus was reached. Again, this did not result in any adjustments at the level of the building blocks.

Based on our data, an action framework for human rights in social work was developed, consisting of five building blocks. In the next part of this article, we present these five building blocks.

Systemworld-oriented action

The right to social support would be meaningless without social services; the right to education would be meaningless without schools; the right to decent housing would be meaningless without houses and the right to health care would be meaningless without hospitals. All these systems—social services, schools, houses, health care, social security, etc.—are considered parts of the systemworld . The systemworld can be defined as all the institutionalised societal resources necessary for the realisation of human rights. Access to these systems is often difficult for people living in vulnerable life conditions. They frequently experience high thresholds.

The problem is that you have to be well informed and to know the right person. … How many people know about the income guarantee for elderly people? A lot of people probably know about the premium for housing, but how many of them are actually applying for it? Definitely not that many, because it requires a lot of jargon that keeps people from applying . (a service-user)

It is a recurring complaint that social systems are inaccessible, because people who need care and support must deal with bureaucracy. The problem is not just the large number of forms that need to be filled in. Social workers also send people from pillar to post, so that ultimately people give up and do not apply for the support they are entitled to. In the end, social rights are often not realised.

We do not understand just how high the thresholds are for people who are already in a vulnerable position, who are living in difficult circumstances, and who are then confronted with a multitude of services that are not working in an integrated way, have cultural thresholds, etc. We have no idea what it means to live in poverty, how hard that is … so that support by social services and an emancipatory approach don’t mean anything. (a social worker, institution for community development)

An important topic related to creating accessible social institutions concerns the distinction between ‘universal’ and ‘selective’ social systems. Based on a human rights perspective, social workers often argue for universal social systems. However, some social workers point out the risks of this approach.

Human rights are of course for everyone. But I think that certain groups are more easily deprived of them. These are certainly socially vulnerable groups. … Other groups have more power to make their voices heard. In any case, they also have easier access to certain rights. Education, for example, is more in line with middle-class culture. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Another social worker puts it even more bluntly:

That is actually a waste of time and resources if we focus on all citizens. … In such an inclusive organisation, time and energy are not focused on the most vulnerable people. (a social worker, institution for community development)

To resolve the tension between a universal and a selective approach, some social workers argue for so-called progressive universalism. According to this line of thinking, social support should in principle be universal in orientation, and therefore should be addressed to everyone. However, these universal social systems should simultaneously develop ways of supporting people living in vulnerable life conditions who may fall through the cracks, by supplementing them with selective measures ‘within’ these universal systems. So a community centre can be open to everyone, but for people living in poverty, extra support should be provided ‘within’ this community centre to guarantee their participation.

We shouldn’t become the home of the poor either. We have to keep it a bit open without opening it up again to everyone, because then you know that the weakest people will fall out again. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Lifeworld-oriented action

Systemworld-oriented action has its counterpart in lifeworld-oriented action. Lifeworld-oriented action is about social workers making connections with the experiences from people’s everyday lifeworld. The focus is not so much on institutionalised resources, but rather on the practices that people themselves develop to cope with daily experiences of injustice and with violations of human rights.

Actually, being in the field, close to the people, makes you better able to understand the underlying causes … you can more easily contextualise situations. People don’t always say what they want to say or what they think. If you know the context, you can understand that people formulate things in a certain way but mean it differently. (a social worker, institution for community development)

People living in vulnerable life conditions often find that their living environments are insufficiently understood by social workers as well as others. At the same time, they experience difficulties in explaining their own situation to social work organisations.

A lifeworld orientation also requires that social workers facilitate the opportunities to connect different lifeworlds. Connecting lifeworlds can contribute to sharing diverse experiences and to creating connectedness.

One time there was a ‘week of empathisation’. This is good for involving citizens so they can also experience it that way. They cannot imagine what it is like. … It is good to involve them, so they get a very different view of our problems, because those people don’t normally have to deal with these problems. They should do this a lot more, through a campaign set up by the working group on housing, so these people are motivated to join our conversations and to experience what is going on. (a service-user)

Social workers also point out several risks that might be associated with a lifeworld approach. Specifically, they warn against a narrowing view on social problems where not only are social problems observed in the lifeworlds of people, but also solutions for these social problems are sought within the same lifeworlds. However, problems that manifest in the lifeworlds of people often originate from external causes, such as the labour market, the housing market or the school system. Therefore, social workers should always try to link issues raised in the lifeworld with the way social systems are organised.

That double movement has to be part of our work. That is why we say that you should not see our work merely as directed downwards. You have to work from the bottom up, but that movement must also go upwards. … You have to link the work with a broader movement of social organisations. They help to raise the issues of social inequality, and they can move society in the direction of redistribution. … It is even more necessary to set up broader alliances, so that all those little things that happen can become part of a broader context and become part of a wider environment. (a social worker, institution for community development)

The final crucial aspect of social work with lifeworld-oriented action is social duty in public deliberation.

The articulation of different needs of different groups is the core of democracy; that is a social issue. Which needs do we as a society recognise, and which not? Which needs can be defined as rights, how are they recognised, and can we organise ourselves accordingly? These are public debates. These are collective discussions, because not having your needs recognised, and, consequently, not being seen or heard in society, is usually a collective and structural problem. (a lecturer on social work)

Participatory action

Participation is a loose concept, but nevertheless a key notion when talking about an action framework for human rights in social work. After all, shaping human rights requires dialogue between social workers and citizens about how to construct human rights and for what purpose. Social workers point to two complementary features of participation. First, participatory action entails involvement, connection and reciprocity between social workers and citizens. Here, social workers focus on the ‘relational’ characteristic of the practice of participation.

Participative work cannot be one-sided. You cannot expect your client to participate in everything that comes out of your sleeve. I think the art is to participate with them, and to play it by ear: ‘What is going on here?’ If you as a social worker participate with them , you are going to exclude far fewer people than you would if you expect them to come and participate with you. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Social workers also recognise that participation is not simply a relational issue, but that it entails a ‘structural’ approach as well.

If I say that we have to be more individual, this doesn’t mean that we have to find an individual solution. What I mean is that we have to approach people individually and then hear from there what problems those people or those groups are experiencing. It is also important that policy acknowledges the stories of those people. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Participatory action comes with many pitfalls. One is the social exclusion caused by participatory practices. For social work, it is important to be aware of these processes of exclusion and to identify possible barriers and difficulties. In general, social workers indicate that ‘stronger’ people are the ones who participate in available activities, as these practices require a certain assertiveness or particular social or cultural skills.

Participation usually starts from a certain framework and not everyone fits into that framework. It also requires certain skills from clients—skills they don’t always have. So participatory practices exclude people, but at the same time, this makes us aware that we need to find a different way to involve those excluded. (social worker, institution for community development)

Another pitfall has to do with participation in social policy. One of the working methods of the institution for community development is to coach people who live in vulnerable life conditions to speak with policymakers. This involves a risk of instrumentalisation, not only by policymakers, but also by social workers, as these people adapt themselves to the preferences of social workers.

In everything we do, of course, it is important that we let people make their own choices. But to what extent we, as community workers, steer those choices … I’m not sure. … We wouldn’t say it like that, but we do come up with the solutions. … We start a project and then we involve people in it. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Joined-up action

Social work exists in many fields of practice. This can lead to physical or metaphorical borders between these fields. The over-organised professional field of social work often results in fragmentation or compartmentalisation. Social work from a human rights perspective should question these borders and even try to break through them. This is what is meant by joined-up action. Joined-up action aims to counteract structures and logic that withhold the realisation of human rights in social work.

A trend in the social field is to divide everything into separate human rights or compartments. That is how social policy is organised. A human-rights-based perspective implies an integrated or joined-up approach. This requires breaking through this administrative compartmentalisation of human rights. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Besides the limitations caused by the organisation of social work in different fields, social work is often restricted by the proliferation of rules, procedures, protocols, etc. From a human rights perspective, this requires social workers to push boundaries.

It is about pushing and crossing boundaries, looking outside the range of tasks, thinking outside the box. Laws are not violated, but rules are; these are agreements, and they can be interpreted more broadly or reinterpreted … . (a social worker, community health centre)

Social workers call for questioning rules and procedures. Joined-up action here means that social workers should use their professional discretion in order to be guided by their ethical duty instead of following fixed rules and arrangements.

Having sufficient professional discretion is very important, especially if you work with the most vulnerable groups. You need to take the side of these people instead of working with a double agenda. In any case, they will feel this immediately. But secondly, the more professional discretion social workers use in a system, the more they can defend the rights of vulnerable groups in society. … It is important that they make full use of their professional discretion in order to develop a social reflex as much as possible. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Politicising action

Politicisation concerns questioning and contesting power. Power is mostly conceived of as something that belongs to societal structures, like politics or the judiciary system. Exercising power may result in injustice and in inhuman living conditions. The role of social work is thought to be to collectivise individual experiences of human rights violations and to bring these to the public debate. Politicised social work should use political advocacy to denounce structures and systems of power that cause violations of human rights.

You can try to help the person on an individual level to realise his or her rights, but you will always come across structural issues. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Power is also something that is situated in speaking about particular social issues. These discourses of power have a significant impact on people. The role of social work is to question these dominant orders of society. A social worker from a poverty-related organisation working with young people explains:

Many of the young people who arrive at our organisation are caught up in the ‘it’s your own fault’ discourse … . These young people are caught in a system and therefore they often blame themselves: ‘I think it’s me’ … . For example, education is an often recurring subject: 90% have attended special education. How is that possible? Is it only because of the context of poverty that they are being referred to this type of education, largely determining their future? In our organisation, they learn that this is happening not only to them, but this is something systemic. We explain that it is caused by our educational system failing to give everyone equal opportunities. By doing this, we are ‘de-blaming’ them: there is an individual responsibility, but there is also a social responsibility. For them, this is a process of awareness-raising about how society works and about who decides what. In the beginning, this often alienates these young people, these issues of politics, policy, human rights. (a social worker, poverty organisation).

However, because of the often extensive subsidisation of social work organisations by the government, the politicising role of social work is frequently at odds with the autonomy and independence of the organisation.

You are actually in a sort of a split, which keeps you from going fully for human rights. We cannot just be a protest movement. We can never go full 100 per cent. We can do that, but only with the blessing of a minister. (a social worker, institution for community development)

Therefore, social workers should be aware of depoliticising tendencies that increasingly emphasise the controlling side of social work over its emancipatory character.

The pressure is increasing for social workers to exercise control. I think it is important that social workers be very conscious of this: what is my task? … You see that organisations that are not complying are experiencing consequences. … We owe it to ourselves to say why we stand for. If we don’t do that, we do not take our clients seriously. We must unite as social workers to make it clear to policymakers: this is social work and this is not social work. … We must be able to define our role as social workers: what do we serve? We cannot be used for everything. (a social worker, organisation supporting people with a migration background)

Social workers indicate that they should be much more concerned with their self-critical role. Their own actions as social workers should also be scrutinised in some form of ‘self-politicisation’.

Our qualitative research on how social work acts when aiming to realise human rights reveals five building blocks. They flesh out what it can mean for social work to be a human rights profession. It is important to consider these five building blocks in connection to one another as an action framework for human rights in social work. The key point of this framework is the recognition that human rights in social work are collectively constructed and that social workers play a crucial role in this construction process. To state that human rights are collectively constructed is to acknowledge the discursive, contested and complex nature of human rights in social work ( Cemlyn, 2008 ; Ife, 2012 ). There is no single way to construct human rights. On the contrary, trying to realise human rights is a process characterised by a plurality of potential constructions, based on the plurality of interests of the communities and community members involved. Part of our data also show opposing constructions of human rights ‘within’ building blocks. The discussion on systemworld-oriented action, for instance, demonstrates that some social workers are in favour of selective social services, while others defend universal ones. The same goes for participatory action: being recognised as an agent and being acknowledged as a partner in dialogue can conflict with instrumentalising tendencies. It is remarkable that the conflicting perspectives each underpin their opposite positions from the same framework of human rights. Another part of our data show opposing views on human rights ‘between’ building blocks. This is probably most obvious in the building blocks of lifeworld-oriented action and systemworld-oriented action, which can be considered opposites. The approach of starting from the needs experienced by communities seems to be difficult to reconcile with the bureaucratic procedures of institutions within a system, although both rely on human rights.

Our action framework has an ambiguous relationship with previous action models. It resonates only partially with Androff’s five-principles framework ( Androff, 2016 ), particularly regarding the principle of participation. The principle of accountability in Androff’s model is closely linked to the building block of politicised action. For the other principles, the two frameworks can be considered complementary. The same goes for McPhersons’s HRPSW framework (2015; see also McPherson and Abell, 2020 ). Some of the human rights methods in her model share similarities with our action framework: participation is a shared concern; accountability and activism correspond to politicised action; community and interdisciplinary collaboration are related to lifeworld-oriented action and micro/macro integration and capacity building resonate with systemworld-oriented action. On the other hand, the human rights lens and human rights goals are absent from our action framework. As for earlier research in the Flemish context, our action framework agrees with some aspects of it but not others. Vandekinderen et al. (2020) conducted a research project to explore the common ground of social work in Flanders. They identified five building blocks that are considered the DNA of social work in Flanders. Of these, politicising work is the only building block that both frameworks have in common. It is no surprise that this building block also shows up in our results, as politicising work is a main concern in the work of community development organisations in Flanders.

The observed divergences between our own action framework and the practice approaches of Androff and McPherson can be explained in different ways. In part, this is probably due to the different research contexts in which the projects took place. In our project, collaboration was set up with organisations in the field of community development. Although we included focus group discussions to see whether our findings were transferable, additional research in other social work domains could reveal different emphases or even different building blocks. Furthermore, comparative studies between countries could provide more insight into the international transferability of our action framework. As explained in the ‘Introduction’ section, the nature of social work is closely linked to the welfare regime of a country, which in turn ‘set the scene’ for understanding human rights. How different welfare regimes affect the translation of human rights in social work practice remains a blind spot in social work scholarship. However, this is of particular relevance as welfare regimes all over the world are facing far-reaching transformation that have a significant impact on how human rights in social work are understood. Further research might reveal the link between the nature of different welfare regimes and the way social workers use human rights in their practice. Finally, although we included the voices of service-users in our research project, they often remain left out of rights-based practice literature. Further research on human rights in social work should pay much more attention to the perspective of service-users and to the way that a human rights framework affects their situations and life conditions. These issues require an empirical shift in order to fully understand social work as a human rights profession. Understanding these issues could lend more nuance to the discussions on the relationship between social work and human rights, and would move this debate beyond empty slogans and catchphrases.

Alseth A. K. ( 2020 ) ‘ Human rights as an opportunity and challenge for social work in a changing Norwegian welfare state’, European Journal of Social Work , 23 ( 6 ), pp. 920 – 13 .

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Cubillos-Vega C. ( 2017 ) ‘ Análisis de la producción científica sobre Derechos Humanos en Trabajo Social: perspectiva internacional (2000–2015 )’, Revista Española de Documentación Científica , 40 ( 1 ), p. 163 .

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Ife J. ( 2009 ) Human Rights from Below: Achieving Rights through Community Development , Cambridge, University Press .

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Lorenz W. ( 2008 ) ‘ Towards a European model of social work’, Australian Social Work , 61 ( 1 ), pp. 7 – 24 .

Lorenz W. ( 2001 ) ‘ Social work responses to “New Labour” in continental European countries’, British Journal of Social Work , 31 ( 4 ), pp. 595 – 609 .

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McPherson J. , Abell N. ( 2020 ) ‘ Measuring rights-based practice: Introducing the human rights methods in social work scales’, The British Journal of Social Work , 50 ( 1 ), pp. 222 – 42 .

McPherson J. ( 2015a ) Human Rights Practice in Social Work: A Rights-Based Framework and Two New Measures . Doctoral dissertation, Florida State University, Available online at: https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu:273511/datastream/PDF/view (accessed 20 April 2021).

McPherson J. ( 2015b ) ‘ Human rights practice in social work: A US social worker looks to Brazil for leadership’, European Journal of Social Work , 18 ( 4 ), pp. 599 – 612 .

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Vandekinderen C. , Roose R. , Raeymaeckers P. , Hermans K. ( 2020 ) The DNA of social work as a human rights practice from a frontline social workers’ perspective in Flanders . European Journal of Social Work , 23 ( 5 ), pp. 876 – 888 .

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Research Topics & Ideas: Healthcare

100+ Healthcare Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Healthcare-related research topics and ideas

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a healthcare-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a range of healthcare fields, including allopathic and alternative medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacology and public health.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the healthcare domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.

Overview: Healthcare Research Topics

Allopathic medicine
Alternative /complementary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Physical therapy/ rehab
Optometry and ophthalmology
Pharmacy and pharmacology
Public health
Examples of healthcare-related dissertations

Allopathic (Conventional) Medicine

The effectiveness of telemedicine in remote elderly patient care
The impact of stress on the immune system of cancer patients
The effects of a plant-based diet on chronic diseases such as diabetes
The use of AI in early cancer diagnosis and treatment
The role of the gut microbiome in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety
The efficacy of mindfulness meditation in reducing chronic pain: A systematic review
The benefits and drawbacks of electronic health records in a developing country
The effects of environmental pollution on breast milk quality
The use of personalized medicine in treating genetic disorders
The impact of social determinants of health on chronic diseases in Asia
The role of high-intensity interval training in improving cardiovascular health
The efficacy of using probiotics for gut health in pregnant women
The impact of poor sleep on the treatment of chronic illnesses
The role of inflammation in the development of chronic diseases such as lupus
The effectiveness of physiotherapy in pain control post-surgery

Topics & Ideas: Alternative Medicine

The benefits of herbal medicine in treating young asthma patients
The use of acupuncture in treating infertility in women over 40 years of age
The effectiveness of homoeopathy in treating mental health disorders: A systematic review
The role of aromatherapy in reducing stress and anxiety post-surgery
The impact of mindfulness meditation on reducing high blood pressure
The use of chiropractic therapy in treating back pain of pregnant women
The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine such as Shun-Qi-Tong-Xie (SQTX) in treating digestive disorders in China
The impact of yoga on physical and mental health in adolescents
The benefits of hydrotherapy in treating musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinitis
The role of Reiki in promoting healing and relaxation post birth
The effectiveness of naturopathy in treating skin conditions such as eczema
The use of deep tissue massage therapy in reducing chronic pain in amputees
The impact of tai chi on the treatment of anxiety and depression
The benefits of reflexology in treating stress, anxiety and chronic fatigue
The role of acupuncture in the prophylactic management of headaches and migraines

Topics & Ideas: Dentistry

The impact of sugar consumption on the oral health of infants
The use of digital dentistry in improving patient care: A systematic review
The efficacy of orthodontic treatments in correcting bite problems in adults
The role of dental hygiene in preventing gum disease in patients with dental bridges
The impact of smoking on oral health and tobacco cessation support from UK dentists
The benefits of dental implants in restoring missing teeth in adolescents
The use of lasers in dental procedures such as root canals
The efficacy of root canal treatment using high-frequency electric pulses in saving infected teeth
The role of fluoride in promoting remineralization and slowing down demineralization
The impact of stress-induced reflux on oral health
The benefits of dental crowns in restoring damaged teeth in elderly patients
The use of sedation dentistry in managing dental anxiety in children
The efficacy of teeth whitening treatments in improving dental aesthetics in patients with braces
The role of orthodontic appliances in improving well-being
The impact of periodontal disease on overall health and chronic illnesses

Free Webinar: How To Find A Dissertation Research Topic

Tops & Ideas: Veterinary Medicine

The impact of nutrition on broiler chicken production
The role of vaccines in disease prevention in horses
The importance of parasite control in animal health in piggeries
The impact of animal behaviour on welfare in the dairy industry
The effects of environmental pollution on the health of cattle
The role of veterinary technology such as MRI in animal care
The importance of pain management in post-surgery health outcomes
The impact of genetics on animal health and disease in layer chickens
The effectiveness of alternative therapies in veterinary medicine: A systematic review
The role of veterinary medicine in public health: A case study of the COVID-19 pandemic
The impact of climate change on animal health and infectious diseases in animals
The importance of animal welfare in veterinary medicine and sustainable agriculture
The effects of the human-animal bond on canine health
The role of veterinary medicine in conservation efforts: A case study of Rhinoceros poaching in Africa
The impact of veterinary research of new vaccines on animal health

Topics & Ideas: Physical Therapy/Rehab

The efficacy of aquatic therapy in improving joint mobility and strength in polio patients
The impact of telerehabilitation on patient outcomes in Germany
The effect of kinesiotaping on reducing knee pain and improving function in individuals with chronic pain
A comparison of manual therapy and yoga exercise therapy in the management of low back pain
The use of wearable technology in physical rehabilitation and the impact on patient adherence to a rehabilitation plan
The impact of mindfulness-based interventions in physical therapy in adolescents
The effects of resistance training on individuals with Parkinson’s disease
The role of hydrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia
The impact of cognitive-behavioural therapy in physical rehabilitation for individuals with chronic pain
The use of virtual reality in physical rehabilitation of sports injuries
The effects of electrical stimulation on muscle function and strength in athletes
The role of physical therapy in the management of stroke recovery: A systematic review
The impact of pilates on mental health in individuals with depression
The use of thermal modalities in physical therapy and its effectiveness in reducing pain and inflammation
The effect of strength training on balance and gait in elderly patients

Topics & Ideas: Optometry & Opthalmology

The impact of screen time on the vision and ocular health of children under the age of 5
The effects of blue light exposure from digital devices on ocular health
The role of dietary interventions, such as the intake of whole grains, in the management of age-related macular degeneration
The use of telemedicine in optometry and ophthalmology in the UK
The impact of myopia control interventions on African American children’s vision
The use of contact lenses in the management of dry eye syndrome: different treatment options
The effects of visual rehabilitation in individuals with traumatic brain injury
The role of low vision rehabilitation in individuals with age-related vision loss: challenges and solutions
The impact of environmental air pollution on ocular health
The effectiveness of orthokeratology in myopia control compared to contact lenses
The role of dietary supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, in ocular health
The effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure from tanning beds on ocular health
The impact of computer vision syndrome on long-term visual function
The use of novel diagnostic tools in optometry and ophthalmology in developing countries
The effects of virtual reality on visual perception and ocular health: an examination of dry eye syndrome and neurologic symptoms

Topics & Ideas: Pharmacy & Pharmacology

The impact of medication adherence on patient outcomes in cystic fibrosis
The use of personalized medicine in the management of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
The effects of pharmacogenomics on drug response and toxicity in cancer patients
The role of pharmacists in the management of chronic pain in primary care
The impact of drug-drug interactions on patient mental health outcomes
The use of telepharmacy in healthcare: Present status and future potential
The effects of herbal and dietary supplements on drug efficacy and toxicity
The role of pharmacists in the management of type 1 diabetes
The impact of medication errors on patient outcomes and satisfaction
The use of technology in medication management in the USA
The effects of smoking on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics: A case study of clozapine
Leveraging the role of pharmacists in preventing and managing opioid use disorder
The impact of the opioid epidemic on public health in a developing country
The use of biosimilars in the management of the skin condition psoriasis
The effects of the Affordable Care Act on medication utilization and patient outcomes in African Americans

Topics & Ideas: Public Health

The impact of the built environment and urbanisation on physical activity and obesity
The effects of food insecurity on health outcomes in Zimbabwe
The role of community-based participatory research in addressing health disparities
The impact of social determinants of health, such as racism, on population health
The effects of heat waves on public health
The role of telehealth in addressing healthcare access and equity in South America
The impact of gun violence on public health in South Africa
The effects of chlorofluorocarbons air pollution on respiratory health
The role of public health interventions in reducing health disparities in the USA
The impact of the United States Affordable Care Act on access to healthcare and health outcomes
The effects of water insecurity on health outcomes in the Middle East
The role of community health workers in addressing healthcare access and equity in low-income countries
The impact of mass incarceration on public health and behavioural health of a community
The effects of floods on public health and healthcare systems
The role of social media in public health communication and behaviour change in adolescents

Examples: Healthcare Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a healthcare-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various healthcare-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

Improving Follow-Up Care for Homeless Populations in North County San Diego (Sanchez, 2021)
On the Incentives of Medicare’s Hospital Reimbursement and an Examination of Exchangeability (Elzinga, 2016)
Managing the healthcare crisis: the career narratives of nurses (Krueger, 2021)
Methods for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infection in pediatric haematology-oncology patients: A systematic literature review (Balkan, 2020)
Farms in Healthcare: Enhancing Knowledge, Sharing, and Collaboration (Garramone, 2019)
When machine learning meets healthcare: towards knowledge incorporation in multimodal healthcare analytics (Yuan, 2020)
Integrated behavioural healthcare: The future of rural mental health (Fox, 2019)
Healthcare service use patterns among autistic adults: A systematic review with narrative synthesis (Gilmore, 2021)
Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Combatting Burnout and Compassionate Fatigue among Mental Health Caregivers (Lundquist, 2022)
Transgender and gender-diverse people’s perceptions of gender-inclusive healthcare access and associated hope for the future (Wille, 2021)
Efficient Neural Network Synthesis and Its Application in Smart Healthcare (Hassantabar, 2022)
The Experience of Female Veterans and Health-Seeking Behaviors (Switzer, 2022)
Machine learning applications towards risk prediction and cost forecasting in healthcare (Singh, 2022)
Does Variation in the Nursing Home Inspection Process Explain Disparity in Regulatory Outcomes? (Fox, 2020)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Need more help?

If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your healthcare dissertation or thesis, check out Topic Kickstarter service below.

Research Topic Kickstarter - Need Help Finding A Research Topic?

18 Comments

I need topics that will match the Msc program am running in healthcare research please

Hello Mabel,

I can help you with a good topic, kindly provide your email let’s have a good discussion on this.

Can you provide some research topics and ideas on Immunology?

Thank you to create new knowledge on research problem verse research topic

Help on problem statement on teen pregnancy

This post might be useful: https://gradcoach.com/research-problem-statement/

can you give me research titles that i can conduct as a school nurse

can you provide me with a research topic on healthcare related topics to a qqi level 5 student

Please can someone help me with research topics in public health ?

Hello I have requirement of Health related latest research issue/topics for my social media speeches. If possible pls share health issues , diagnosis, treatment.

I would like a topic thought around first-line support for Gender-Based Violence for survivors or one related to prevention of Gender-Based Violence

Please can I be helped with a master’s research topic in either chemical pathology or hematology or immunology? thanks

Can u please provide me with a research topic on occupational health and safety at the health sector

Good day kindly help provide me with Ph.D. Public health topics on Reproductive and Maternal Health, interventional studies on Health Education

may you assist me with a good easy healthcare administration study topic

May you assist me in finding a research topic on nutrition,physical activity and obesity. On the impact on children

I have been racking my brain for a while on what topic will be suitable for my PhD in health informatics. I want a qualitative topic as this is my strong area.

Hi, may I please be assisted with research topics in the medical laboratory sciences

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100 Social Work Research Topics and Tips on Choosing One
50 Hot Research Topics for Social Work Students. Difference in approaching children vs adolescents suffering from domestic violence. Success stories in preventing child abuse in certain regions/states. Strategies to encourage women to report domestic violence cases. Damage to families with ongoing domestic violence.
Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations
Theses and dissertations published by graduate students in the Department of Counseling and Human Services, College of Education, Old Dominion University, since Fall 2016 are available in this collection. Backfiles of all dissertations (and some theses) have also been added.
300 Social Work Research Topics & Ideas 2023
Human services topics are important since they deal with human existence and ways to make it better. Human service topics focus on how social workers help to satisfy individuals' and communities' needs. ... It is categorized into subsections, starting with research paper topics, thesis topics, and dissertation topics. Here, you will also ...
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These human services topics are worth investigating in a research paper. However, take the time to research your chosen title to write an exciting piece. Controversial Topics In Social Work. Some social work essay topics are controversial. Some people find these titles controversial because they provoke public interest. Here are some of them.
Perceptions of Human Services Case Workers Regarding Culturally
Perceptions of Human Services Case Workers Regarding Culturally Sensitive, Evidence-Based Services in Child Welfare John Dyrkacz ... This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral ...
Social Work Research Topics [With Tips]
3 Social Work Research Topics. 3.1 Social Work Research Topics for Beginners. 3.2 Social Work Research Topics for College Students. 3.3 Human Services Research Paper Topics. 3.4 Interesting Social Work Research Paper Topics. 3.5 Controversial Social Work Research Paper Topics. 3.6 Social Work Thesis Topics.
Human Service Professionals' Perceived Ability to Support Title I
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an ... (National Organization for Human Services, 2021). This was especially true for students who received Title I school ...
256 Social Work Research Topics: Essential Guide
256 In Depth Social Work Research Topics To Get Top Grade. Social work is a practice which discusses social change and development. It requires the understanding of people's behavior, economic conditions, social and cultural institutions, etc., to engage in meaningful interactions with people on individual, family, group, and community levels.
Human Services Caseworkersâ•Ž Experiences Working Remotely During COVID-19
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an ... Human services caseworkers have shifted from traditional means of providing services to their clients since the onset ...
Social Work Dissertation Topics: 10+ Ideas To Get Started
Social Work Dissertation Topics: 20+ Ideas to Consider for Your Research. The reaction of the social work profession to societal concerns. Examining instances in which gifts are utilized unethically and unfairly. The function of social workers in earthquake victim rescue processes. Knowledge of social circumstances and social issues are analyzed.
Social Work Research Topics
Social Work Research Topics for College Students. The impact of childhood trauma on mental health outcomes in adulthood. Examining the effectiveness of community-based interventions for reducing domestic violence. The intersection of race and poverty in accessing mental health services.
How to Choose a Dissertation Topic For Your Doctoral Degree
Find a niche: Look for a specific area where you can add value or a new perspective. The ideal topic will build on existing work while offering something original. Evaluate the Feasibility of Your Topic: Resources: Determine what resources, including equipment, funding, and time, you will need to complete the research.
Research Guides: Human Services: Explore Topics
Review the summaries and project webpages in order to find topic ideas. NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS.gov) Topic ideas can be found by clicking Divisions. National Conference of State Legislatures: Human Services. Scroll through the page and look for links to their newsletter, blog, etc. that deal with human services topics.
Thesis and Capstone Requirements for Social Work Programs
Most master's programs include a social work thesis. For the thesis, students complete in-depth research or data collection, write an extended essay of about 50 pages, and present an oral defense of results. Typically, master's students conduct research on a topic of interest while participating in a field work placement or internship.
How to Choose a Dissertation Topic
Step 1: Check the requirements. Step 2: Choose a broad field of research. Step 3: Look for books and articles. Step 4: Find a niche. Step 5: Consider the type of research. Step 6: Determine the relevance. Step 7: Make sure it's plausible. Step 8: Get your topic approved. Other interesting articles.
Social Work as a Human Rights Profession: An Action Framework
Introduction. Human rights are foundational to social work, as recognised in the global definition, leading many to consider social work a human rights profession (Healy, 2008; Staub-Bernasconi, 2016; Mapp et al., 2019).Staub-Bernasconi (2016), together with Gatenio Gabel (2015), among others, acknowledges the historical connection of social work with human rights.
LibGuides: Research Topic Ideas: Education & Social Work
Social Services Abstracts. Index and abstract of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas. more info... Last Updated: Jul 10, 2024 5:18 PM. URL: https://libguides.umflint.edu/topics.
Dissertation
Doctoral students will be required to complete a master's thesis, preliminary examination and doctoral dissertation (in that order). The dissertation is a research project carried out by the student under the guidance of a major professor and committee. A dissertation should represent a significant, novel contribution to the literature.
James Madison University
James Madison University
100+ Healthcare Research Topics (+ Free Webinar)
Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you've landed on this post, chances are you're looking for a healthcare-related research topic, but aren't sure where to start. Here, we'll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a ...
Thesis and Dissertations-College of Graduate Studies-University of Idaho
Theses and Dissertations template (Word) Example of a thesis; Note: COGS at this time is unable to provide any troubleshooting support or tutorials on LaTeX. Please use only if you are knowledgeable and familiar with the program. Writing Assistance Services; Format Review Services; Survey of Earned Doctorates (for Ph.D. students only)
Dissertation Support Group-COGS-University of Idaho
Dissertation/Thesis Support Group. Faculty member Dr. Ben Ridenhour and Dir. of Grad Student Support Programs, will continue to facilitate a weekly dissertation support group aimed at candidate level doctoral students (though others are VERY welcome to attend, including those working on a thesis). The weekly meetings will involve goal-setting, trouble-shooting, and peer and faculty support ...
What is a dissertation topic in human services?
Dissertation topics in human services can include themes like an interdisciplinary approach to human-animal relationships, improving conditions for underserved populations, and the impact of globalization on public policy. All these themes contribute original research to the interdisciplinary field of human services.

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