Making evidence accessible and reducing waste in research

Evidence-based policy making is essential to good governance and has become the backbone of modern public health sector. But how do we know when we have enough information to make the best decisions? And how do we ensure that the decisions we are making are the correct ones? How do we know what works in social science sector and what doesn’t? How do we manage waste in research?

There has been a growing interest in South Asia among researchers and policymakers to use evidence synthesis to inform the design and implementation of a range of developmental interventions. But there is wide disparity in research activity and output across the South Asian region, both in terms of quantity and quality research.

What we need a better reach and understanding of the nature, extent and effectiveness of various programs and strategies in South Asia. To be able to develop effective strategies, there has to be an increased emphasis for generating sound evidence globally and regionally. While the growth in evidence generation is welcome, it also presents challenges: how to ensure that existing evidence is accessible to decision makers, that new studies avoid duplication and that evidence gaps are addressed? How to conduct new research that adds value?

The tool, called Evidence and gap map (EGM), is a matrix designed to help policymakers and practitioners quickly see where high-quality studies are plentiful, or where more research is needed. The evidence is structured around a matrix: the rows are intervention categories, the columns outcome categories, with cells containing a link to studies reporting data for the impact of that intervention on that outcome. EGMs provide a visibly accessible overview of evidence from systematic reviews, impact evaluations and primary studies.

Mapping is an approach which can be applied to any research questions as emphasized in this paper. Following this principle, Campbell embarked on various innovations in evidence mapping such as production of country evidence and gap map of all developmental evaluations in Uganda (Evidence and Gap Map of Development Evaluations in Uganda), homelessness process evaluation map highlighting barriers and facilitator to effective homelessness interventions (Homelessness process evaluation map) and mega map on child welfare in low and middle income countries (Campbell-UNICEF Child Welfare Mega Map).

Identifying or carrying out a systematic review, before embarking on any new primary research, is increasingly seen by many funding organisations as an essential first step. One such example is the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), where all prospective funding is offered only to those applicants who ensure that all primary research is informed by identifying relevant, or existing systematic reviews.

Now is the time to establish a sustainable mechanism for generation, use and increasing accessibility of evidence by strengthening national and South Asian partnerships. You can help support the initiative, and support of our vision of “Better evidence for a better world”.

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