ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. In this chapter, the author explores the terms evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based practice (EBP) interchangeably depending on the context being discussed. However, to the extent possible and without losing track of the chronological and disciplinary evolution of these concepts, we use the term EBP in this chapter, which is designed for social workers and other professionals in social and behavioral human services. The return of the experimental mind to the social sciences is promising; especially if we consider that it may take more than a generation to fully produce a cultural shift in established institutional structures of research and higher education. The social work profession has historically defined its mission as operating in the service of individuals and communities, the underprivileged, the oppressed, and the neediest in society.
