The Social Work Research Group/NASW Research Section/Council on Social Work Research, 1949-1965: An Emerging Research Identity in the American Profession

Objective: To determine major themes and significance of the Social Work Research Group (SWRG), founded in 1949. Methods: Archival research, principally at Social Welfare History Archives, University of Minnesota; oral historical interviews of key informants. Results: The Social Work Research Group (SWRG), founded in 1949, fostered research within the profession by creating an organization representing and promoting social work research, advancing the place of research in teaching and scholarship, and establishing what ultimately became Social Work Abstracts. It was one of seven organizations leading to the 1955 creation of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Retaining NASW status, the SWRG (renamed NASW Research Section in 1955 and then Council on Social Work Research in 1963) moved from an earlier preoccupation with membership criteria and the place of research within the profession to conceptualizing and promoting research as an established social work method. Conclusion: In doing so, the SWRG laid groundwork for the contemporary social work research movement.