ABSTRACT
It is clear from the research that most social workers are not involved in knowledge production. It will be difficult for the field of social work to develop a sophisticated theoretical base grounded in rigorous social scientific findings. In this chapter a number of areas are developed that will suggest solutions to the problems that confront the field of social work. Specifically, discussion focuses on the need for social workers to ground their knowledge and theory development in epistemologies that stress scientific practice. The chapter argues that social work faculty should teach scientific practice; not to do so is simply unethical. It also discusses the importance of grounding curriculum development in empirically based findings. Finally, the chapter argues that standards used to select editorial board members must be raised. Journals play a critical role in the development of a profession or discipline.
