SWK222 Research Guide: Start Your Research Here

How We (& Others) Refer to Theories

There are differences in how we--and more importantly, how others--refer to theories. These difference impact how we can best search for information & scholarly research on them.

(1) Theory/ Perspective/Model/Approach - sometimes, but not always, interchangeable

• Human Relations Model/Theory
• Family Systems Theory/Approach

(2) Sometimes Theory/Perspective/Model not used at all or if so, very rarely

• Motivational Interviewing
• Social Intelligence

(3) Sometimes  the theorist is often mentioned with the theory

• Peck's Theory
• Maslow's Hierarchy

We need to use the terms others' use in order to find what they've written.

Strategies for Finding Secondary Sources: Books & Articles about the Theories

Integrate multiple search strategies into your searching in the library catalogs & databases--don't settle for just one!

(1) Try exact phrase search with quotation marks around phrase

• Brings back exact match--makes the most relevant results come to the top of your list
• Example: "motivational interviewing"

(2) Interchange Theory / Perspective / Model / Approach in your searching

• In case others don’t refer to the theory the exact way you do
• Always good to try different synonyms & related terms in your searches

(3) Try one-word search using a single term unique to the theory

• In case others don’t refer to the theory the exact way you do
• Example: interactionist

(4a) Try theorist last name + AND + one word unique to theory
(4b) Try one word to represent your theory + AND + one word to represent a unique aspect/application you wish to focus on      

• Sometimes theorist’s name needed for relevant results
• Sometimes you can effectively focus your search on just one trend/
• Note: You need the AND in the library catalogs to search effectively for both terms to appear in the items you are looking for; in the databases, AND is typically there between the search boxes by default
• Example: maslow and hierarchy

TIP: If you do this kind of a search, be aware that the results will not sort by relevance, so you might need to scroll down a bit to find what you need.

(5) Try just the theorist(s) by last name

• The theorist may have a unique name that makes it easily searched with
• Example: miller and rollnick

(6) Try a SUBJECT search for theorist by last name, first

• Choose SUBJECT from the drop-down menu options in the library catalogs & databases next to the search button
• Searching for SUBJECTS like this can help find books & articles that focus on your theory/theorist
•  Example: maslow, abraham