Published In
Research on Social Work Practice
Document Type
Post-Print
Publication Date
5-2-2026
Subjects
Social work, Practice research, Epistemology, Co-creation, Service user involvement
Abstract
Purpose
This special issue examines practice research in social work, focusing on participation, co-creation, and service users’ positions in knowledge production and utilization. Practice research is advanced as a collaborative, context-sensitive approach that challenges hierarchical models of evidence and foregrounds co-produced knowledge.
Method
Drawing on the Sixth International Conference on Practice Research at Aalborg University, Denmark, the 11 special issue articles explore service user involvement, positionality, and organizational conditions shaping inquiry.
Results
The introduction synthesizes cross-cutting themes from the articles into an integrative framework linking epistemic justice, co-methodologies, and institutional supports for co-learning and improvements in practices, structures, and policies.
Discussion
The introduction concludes by advancing implications for practice researchers, practice research processes and projects, and sustainable practice research pipelines. Collectively, the special issue highlights practice research's potential to inform knowledge development and support systemic transformation.
Rights
© Copyright 2026 (the author(s)
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1177/10497315261446482
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44673
Citation Details
McBeath, B., Kong, S. T., & Uggerhøj, L. (2026). Practice Research in Social Work—Participation, Co-Creation, and Service Users’ Positions: Introduction to the Articles from the Sixth International Conference on Practice Research. Research on Social Work Practice.
Description
This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published as: Practice Research in Social Work—Participation, Co-Creation, and Service Users’ Positions: Introduction to the Articles from the Sixth International Conference on Practice Research. Research on Social Work Practice, 10497315261446482.