Social Work & Christianity
Social Work and Christianity (SWC) is a refereed journal published by the North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW) in order to contribute to the growth of social workers in the integration of Christian faith and professional practice. SWC welcomes articles, shorter contributions, book reviews, and letters which deal with issues related the integration of faith and professional social work practice and other professional concerns which have relevance to Christianity.
Views expressed by authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of SWC or NACSW. Membership in NACSW or publication in SWC in no way implies endorsement or certification of the member’s or author’s qualifications, ability, or proficiency to practice social work. NACSW and SWC do not assume responsibility in any way for member’s or reader’s efforts to apply or utilize information, suggestions, or recommendations made by the association, its publications, conferences, or other resources.
Free Member Access
Free online access to current and archived issues of Social Work and Christianity going back to 1974 is one of the complimentary benefits included with individual or organizational membership in NACSW.
For Member-Only access to current and archived issues, click here.
Non-members, please contact the NACSW office at in**@na***.org for information.
Past issues of Social Work and Christianity are available for purchase.
Editor in chief, Peter Szto
Guidelines for Submitting Articles to SWC
To submit an article manuscript to SWC, click here. For assistance submitting an article to SWC, check out our Article Submission Tutorial.
Social Work & Christianity primarily publishes 4 types of articles:
- Conceptual articles: Conceptual articles focus on the development and/or explanation of an idea or theory and relate the idea or theory to the integration of Christian faith with the social work profession in an explicit manner. Conceptual articles contribute to the literature on the integration of Christian faith and social work practice by assisting readers utilize concepts and theories from the social sciences, theology, religious studies, philosophy, various helping professions, and similar fields to provide a framework for social work practice and/or scholarship. Such articles do not produce empirical results, although empirical results from prior research may be used to support the concepts and theories described in the article. Check out the criteria on the review form used by reviewers to evaluate submissions for this type of article.
- Research articles: Research articles report on empirical research conducted by the author(s), whether quantitative or qualitative in focus. Research articles generally report on the exploration of a research question(s), describe a specific research methodology, and report results and implications of a research study. Check out the criteria on the review form used by reviewers to evaluate submissions for this type of article.
- Practice articles: Practice notes articles share examples of practice situations (micro through macro) with lessons, grounded in the literature, for readers. These articles can be written as case studies, use first-person, and may include diagrams, forms or other sample documents which might help the reader understand the lessons from practice. Check out the criteria on the review form used by reviewers to evaluate submissions for this type of article.
- Point of View/Commentary articles: Point of view/commentary articles provide a platform for authors to comment on current issues, social problems, and trends that are relevant to Christians in social work, or to respond to the assumptions, conclusions, or positions in a previously published article in SWC. Check out the criteria on the review form used by reviewers to evaluate submissions for this type of article.
Please submit your article as a Microsoft Word file which includes the following information:
a) The full title of the article
b) An abstract of not more than 150 words
c) The full text of the article (without author identification)
d) References and any tables or appendices (please use the current edition of the American Psychological Association Style Manual for in-text references and reference lists).
e) Keywords or phrases (4-8) to facilitate online searches
Please note that to ensure the integrity of the blind peer-review process, before submitting your manuscript:
- Please delete your name and/or the name(s) of any co-authors from the text.
- Author identification should be removed from the “properties” section of your Word document by clicking on the following, beginning with “File” on the main menu of your document: File > Save As > Tools (or Options with a Mac) > Security > Remove personal information from file properties on save > Save.
Authors may correspond with the managing editor, Rick Chamiec-Case, by email.
Guidelines for Submitting Book Reviews to SWC
Social Work and Christianity welcomes book review manuscripts for the Reviews section of the journal.
To submit a book review to SWC, click here.
Book review authors should follow these guidelines:
- Reviewed books should be relevant to SWC’s readership and therefore should include content pertinent to Christians in social work.
- Ordinarily books should be fairly recent (published within 2 years); if later, reviewers should provide some justification for why an older book has current relevance.
- Reviews should be about 600-800 words in length.
- Reviews should include an overview of the book’s main points, especially those pertaining to Christians in social work.
- In addition to a descriptive summary of the book’s content, reviews should provide some assessment, critique, and analysis of the book’s strengths and weaknesses, and its contribution to the field of social work practice, especially to specific audiences such as subfields of social work practice, students, academics, administrators, and church leaders.
- Reviews should adhere to general guidelines for formatting and writing described in the general Instructions for Authors.
- All submitted book review manuscripts, whether invited or not, are subject to editorial review and acceptance by the book review editor, in conjunction with the editor-in-chief, who will make final decisions regarding acceptance for publication.
- Reviews submitted for a special topic issue should be clearly marked as such.
Please contact James Vanderwoerd, the Book Review Editor of Social Work & Christianity, at with any questions or for additional information.
Guidelines for Submitting Letters to the Editor to SWC
Social Work and Christianity welcomes Letters to the Editor. To submit a Letter to the Editor to SWC, click here.
The purpose of the Letters to the Editor section in Social Work & Christianity is to provide creative space for dialogue about complicated topics for Christians in social work. Our hope is that submissions in this form allow for the healthy exchange of ideas and perspectives. The Letters to the Editor section is grounded in our Christian values of humility, mutual respect, and generosity of spirit, as well as our professional values of critical thinking and integrity.
Letters to the Editor should be no more than 500-1,000 words in length and invite conversation as it offers the opportunity for readers to observe an open and civil exchange of ideas and perspectives. Letters which are a response to articles previously published in Social Work & Christianity will be shared with the article author(s), who will have the opportunity to respond to the letter. Such Letters to the Editor are encouraged to ask clarifying questions in a spirit of curiosity (as opposed to a spirit of confrontation), model careful listening, and seek common ground where possible as it shares alternative points of view for readers’ consideration. Letters to the Editor which include personal attacks or denigration of individuals or organizations will not be considered.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions to Social Work and Christianity are available to libraries and organizations at a subscription rate of $142 per year (or $165/year in US dollars for institutions in Canada and overseas). To order a subscription, contact in**@na***.org or go to the online bookstore.