Social Work Research with Industry: A Systematic Literature Review of Engagement and Impact

Current research agendas in developed countries focus on academics engaging collaboratively with communities and industry partners to achieve research outcomes that demonstrate reach and significance. Social work academics are in a prime position to undertake collaborative research that has specific project benefits and wider social impacts. This article reports on a systematic literature review of articles in social work journals that reported on academic industry partnerships. The review aimed to analyse publications documenting the engagement of social work academic researchers with industry partners, to examine the nature of the research undertaken through this engagement and to ascertain the reported impact. Findings highlight that collaborative research processes could be described in greater detail, further explicit detail on collaboration and impact is needed, and while project level impacts are described in reviewed publications, most are not presenting broader societal impacts.