Research on social work practice does not benefit from blurry theory: A response to Tomi Gomory

Gomory uses a broader definition of theory than that discussed in my articl e. If by "theory" one means guesses, hypotheses, conjectures, assumptions, models, and perspectives, then yes, any research endeavor involves theory. But such an elastic definition of theory causes the concept to lose all sci entific value, and is at variance with the more common land restrictive) us e of the term I employed. Many of Gomory's points were tangential to respon ding directly to the substance of my article, and others simply misrepresen ted positions made there and in other publications. Gomory agrees with the major point of my article that forcing doctoral students and others to incl ude elements of grand theories into dissertation research and program evalu ation in the absence of genuine integration is a poor practice and should b e halted. His disagreement with my contention that some (not all) social wo rk programs are atheoretical, and can tin some instances) be evaluated in a n atheoretical manner, derives from his looser definition of the term "theo ry.".