Social media and public policy

"This report considers whether social media data can improve the quality and timeliness of the evidence base that informs public policy."

Social media and public policy: What is the evidence?
J Leavey
Alliance for Useful Evidence
September 2013

Read more here.

A realist review of interventions and strategies to promote evidence-informed healthcare

"Though effectiveness evidence is weak, change agent roles are evolving, as is the literature, which requires more detailed description of interventions, outcomes measures, the context, intensity, and levels at which interventions are implemented in order to understand how change agent interventions effect evidence-informed health care."

A realist review of interventions and strategies to promote evidence-informed healthcare: a focus on change agency
B McCormack, J Rycroft-Malone, K DeCorby, AM Hutchinson, T Bucknall, B Kent, A Schultz, E Snelgrove-Clarke, C Stetler, M Titler, L Wallin, V Wilson
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:107

Read more here.

Research for universal health coverage

"Universal health coverage, with full access to high-quality services for health promotion, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, palliation and financial risk protection, cannot be achieved without evidence from research."

Research for universal health coverage
World Health Organization
August 2013

Read more here.

What should the 'what works network' do?

"This short paper recommends five ways that the What Works centres can ensure that they maximise their impact, and avoid the mistakes of past evidence initiatives, which were often overly focused on supply rather than demand and use, and on academic research to the exclusion of other types of evidence."

What should the 'what works network' do?
R Puttick, G Mulgan
Nesta
May 2013

Read more here.

What counts as good evidence?

"Research data only really become information when they have the power to change views, and they only really become evidence when they attract advocates for the messages they contain."

What counts as good evidence?
S Nutley, A Powell, H Davies
Research Unit for Research Utilisation
University of St Andrews
November 2012

Read more here.

Standards of evidence for impact investing

"The Standards of Evidence recognise the need to ensure that demand for evidence is appropriate for different stages of product of service development, that it doesn't hamper innovation, and that it is realistic and proportionate."

Standards of evidence for impact investing
R Puttick, J Ludlow
NESTA
October 2012

Read more here.

Facilitating the use of research evidence

"Facilitating the use of research is the topic of a newly published virtual issue of The Milbank Quarterly. The issue includes, in chronological order, twenty-two articles and two commentaries that were published in the Quarterly between 2001 and 2011."

Facilitating the use of research evidence
Milbank Quarterly - 2011 Milbank Memorial Fund
Edited by Bradford H. Gray
2011

Read the whole issue here.