Abstract: One of the important signs of the standardization and maturity of social work research lies in the improvement of the standardization and applicability of research methods. The study uses content analysis to examine the use of research methods from the papers in key academic journals related to social work between 2017 and 2021 in China. By a longitudinal comparison between the statistical data and the early data of the same journals, as well as a horizontal comparison with the corresponding data of research methods in the top international journals, Research on Social Work Practice and Social Work, the study aims to quest for the tendency and orientation of social work research methods at the present stage. After analyzing the data, the study finds that Chinese social work research has presented an empirical research orientation, and the proportion of scholars who use quantitative research methods has also increased significantly. This reflects the internationalization and paradigm shift of social work discipline development, and the tendency towards standardization of traditional qualitative research. However, the social work research in China still focuses on speculative research, and quantitative research is still inadequate. Academic standardization and research depth need to be strengthened. At the same time, social work research in China still lacks academic influence and appeal due to the absence of authoritative journals of social work. Overall, there is still room for improvement in Chinese social work research.

Key words: social work, research methods, content analysis