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Where to look for evidence

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8 views2 pages

Where to look for evidence

Uploaded by

Asli Kaya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Where to look for evidence

MOOC core team

In this last video, Prof. Karl Blanchet has just mentioned a list of platforms and sources where you can
find evidence from previous research and evaluations. This reading is not mandatory as part of your
course progression but can serve as a useful reference tool to come back to when needed.

Using these platforms will help you to make sure that you are not repeating a project that has already
been done as well as help you to find the exactly right research question and focus. In module five, we
will also be looking into reference works and encyclopedias and how they can fulfil a similar function.
You can generally access the platforms listed here freely by searching for them online. The descriptions
were taken from their respective websites.

● Cochrane Library
The Cochrane Library is a collection of databases in medicine and other healthcare specialities
provided by Cochrane and other organizations. At its core is the collection of Cochrane Reviews,
a database of systematic reviews and meta-analyses which summarize and interpret the results
of medical research.
● Prospero
PROSPERO is an international database of prospectively registered systematic reviews in health
and social care, welfare, public health, education, crime, justice, and international development,
where there is a health-related outcome. Key features from the review protocol are recorded
and maintained as a permanent record. PROSPERO aims to provide a comprehensive listing of
systematic reviews registered at inception to help avoid duplication and reduce the opportunity
for reporting bias by enabling a comparison of the completed review with what was planned in
the protocol.
● EvidenceAid
Evidence Aid was established after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 as part of the
Cochrane medical research network. Having become an independent charity in 2015, Evidence
Aid works with partners and contributors around the world to provide people and organisations
with the evidence they need to make well-informed decisions following disasters and other
humanitarian emergencies.
● ALNAP
ALNAP is a global network of NGOs, UN agencies, members of the Red Cross/Crescent
Movement, donors, academics, networks and consultants dedicated to learning how to improve
response to humanitarian crises. They facilitate learning among their Network Members, host
the largest library of evaluations of humanitarian action, carry out original research and host
events and conferences.
● Reliefweb
ReliefWeb is a humanitarian information service provided by the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). ReliefWeb's editorial team monitors and collects
information from more than 4,000 key sources, including humanitarian agencies at the
international and local levels, governments, think tanks and research institutions, and the
media. Their editors select, classify, curate and deliver the content that is most relevant to
global humanitarian workers and decision-makers on a 24/7 basis, enabling them to make
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MOOC Operational Research for Humanitarians

informed decisions and plan effective responses. Key content includes the latest reports, maps
and infographics from trusted sources.
● Humanitarian organizations’ websites (e.g. UN agencies, the Red Cross Red Crescent
Movement, your organisation)
● Specific research databases
There are hundreds of research databases that may be relevant to your specific research
interest. You should consider collaborating with a researcher to help you identify the best
platforms to identify relevant evidence. Examples of databases that are largely open-access
include PubMed, Medline, or the Directory of Open Access Journals.
● Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a useful platform to identify valuable research papers, but should generally
be used in conjunction with other research databases given the unknown and changing nature
of its search algorithms.

The list above can be a helpful place to start when you are initiating a project with a research
component and are trying to get a sense of what has been done before. Depending on your specific
area and the project’s focus there could be dozens of other platforms that may be relevant as well.
Make sure to ask colleagues and peers with experience in the area which additional platforms you
should consider.

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