About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Advances in Social Work is committed to enhancing the linkage among social work practice, research, and education. Accordingly, the journal addresses current issues, challenges, and responses facing social work practice and education globally. The journal invites discussion and development of innovations in social work practice and their implications for social work research and education. Advances in Social Work seeks to publish empirical, conceptual, and theoretical articles that make substantial contributions to the field in all areas of social work including clinical practice, community organization, social administration, social policy, planning, and program evaluation. The journal provides a forum for scholarly exchange of research findings and ideas that advance knowledge and inform social work practice. All relevant methods of inquiry are welcome.

Publisher

Advances in Social Work is published by the Indiana University School of Social Work. The journal is hosted and supported by the IU Indianapolis University Library.

Peer Review Process

Advances in Social Work is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original work. Manuscripts are reviewed using a double-blind peer review process. Articles are accepted on the basis of appropriateness, clarity, sound methodology, and utility for social work practice, research, and education. Articles are indexed or abstracted in Social Work Abstracts and Social Service Abstracts. Submissions are reviewed for:

  • Appropriateness -- manuscript fits the mission of AISW by advancing a current issue, challenge, or innovation relevant to social work practice, policy, or education
  • Scientific Merit -- methods are explicit, sound, and appropriate for the research question or for the type of paper submitted
  • Scholarly Content -- the manuscript appropriately cites and integrates current and relevant literature
  • Rationale -- the rationale or purpose of the manuscript is clear
  • Clarity -- the manuscript is well-written and follows APA format

Publication Frequency

Advances in Social Work is published three times a year: Fall (January), Spring (June), and Summer (September).

Open Access Policy

Since 2008, this journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Beginning with Volume 17 Number 2, all articles published in this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Become a Reviewer

Advances in Social Work is a refereed journal published by Indiana University School of Social Work. The journal seeks to publish empirical, conceptual, and theoretical articles in all areas of social work research, education, and practice. Interdisciplinary contributions are encouraged. Authors are provided timely and constructive reviews of their manuscripts. Advances in Social Work is a completely online journal including article submission, review, and publication.

  1. To become a reviewer for Advances in Social Work, you will first need to register with the site.
    1. Select the “Not a user? Register with this site” link.
    2. Complete the information in the profile form.
    3. Select under “register as” the choice of “reviewer” (and "author" if you plan to submit your own manuscript).
    4. Please be sure to indicate areas of interest in your profile.
    5. Remember your ID and password.
  2. When the editor thinks a submitted manuscript may be appropriate for you to review, you will receive an email with an invitation to review and additional information about how to access the manuscript from the website and how to prepare and submit your review from the site as well.
  3. Prior to reviewing a submission please read these ethical guidelines for the peer-review process.
  4. Once you are registered as an author, you can submit manuscripts of your own to Advances.

Thank you for you interest in helping to promote and maintain Advances in Social Work as a high quality journal in the field. Please address any questions about the journal or its online environment to: Margaret E. Adamek, Ph.D. Editor, Advances in Social Work Indiana University School of Social Work 902 West New York Street Indianapolis, IN 46202 (317) 274-6730 madamek@iupui.edu

Ethical Guidelines for Peer Review

Prior to reviewing a submission please read these ethical guidelines for the peer-review process. COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers v.1, March 2013 - Irene Hames on behalf of COPE Council. Advances in Social Work is not a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Publication Ethics

The editors, editorial board, reviewers, and authors for Advances in Social Work take seriously their responsibility to produce high-quality research with careful attention to ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

Authorship

Authors listed on any article in Advances in Social Work will meet all four criteria for authorship outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.

Conflicts of Interest

All individuals involved in the peer review process, including reviewers, authors, and editorial staff, must disclose financial and non-financial interests that potentially undermine, or could reasonably be perceived to undermine the objectivity, integrity, and value of the research.

Misconduct

Any instance of misconduct identified prior to publication can result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript. For any instance of misconduct identified after publication, Advances in Social Work will take action in accordance with COPE Guidelines for Misconduct and issue a public notification.

Archival Policy

Advances in Social Work is digitally preserved using the PKP Private LOCKSS Network (PLN).  For more information about the PKP PLN, see https://pkp.sfu.ca/pkp-lockss/.

Article Processing/Submission Charges

Advances in Social Work does not use article processing charges (APCs) or other submission charges.

Acknowledgements

Advances in Social Work gratefully acknowledges the support of the Indiana University School of Social Work at IU Indianapolis and the IU Indianapolis University Library.

Indexing

Advances in Social Work is indexed with the following:

SocINDEX with Fulltext (EBSCO)
Social Work Abstracts (EBSCO)
Social Services Abstracts (ProQuest)
Scopus