Social work research and the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise: an initial overview

This paper compares outcomes for social work research of the Research Assessment Exercises conducted in 1996 and 2001. Despite significant advances in the position of social work research, the analysis highlights the continuing difficulties in generating a critical mass comparable to that in other applied disciplines, notably health care. This in turn raises questions about the capacity of the UK university-based knowledge industry to resource evidence-based policy and practice in social care.