Evidence-based research

Despite an increasing awareness of the time lag between producing research evidence that may have a beneficial effect on individuals and society, dissemination and knowledge translation remain challenging. Glasgow et al. (2012: 1274) note that researchers 'have done a surprisingly poor job of putting research findings into practice'. Simply put, the pipeline between discovery and implementation is too long and convoluted. All too frequently dissemination is focused on academic and professional audiences with little consideration given to the wider public, non-researcher audiences. Dissemination involves the targeted distribution of information and intervention materials to a specific audience. Typically this involves producing reports, publishing articles and pieces in newsletters, issuing press releases, policy briefs and talking at conferences (INVOLVE, 2017). Although there is a strong move for dissemination to be integral to all components of research design from the earliest stages of development through to the completion of the study (Brownson et al., 2013), this does not always happen. It is clear from the literature that most dissemination that does occur is academic in its nature. This perhaps reflects the culture, context and expectations of the world in which most researchers work, in which their worth is often objectively measured in terms of research income generated, publication of papers in high-impact journals and the academic currency of academic citation. Academic citation is an objective measure for determining output and impact (Wolfenden et al., 2016; Weightman and Butler, 2011). However, it is arguably not a good indicator of whether the findings are reaching the wider public or whether they reflect implementation of findings in practice. Even where researchers are enthusiastic about dissemination and report that dissemination to non-research audiences is important to them, a variety of different factors can influence how successful their efforts at dissemination are (Tabak et al., 2015). Key to success appears to be support for the researchers and the opportunity to develop the skills for dissemination activities (Tabak et al., 2015). Careful and structured consideration of dissemination needs to occur if it is to stand a chance of being successful and for the efforts of the researchers undertaking this role to be rewarded. In their implementation research toolkit, the World Health Organization (2014) propose nine separate steps that researchers should consider when developing a research strategy: Step 1: Reviewing past dissemination efforts. Step 2: Devising dissemination objectives. Step 3: Determining primary and secondary audiences.

When speaking about key elements in the debate about arts-based research, what comes to mind is that arts-based research has political implications that envision a diversity in methodology and that tackle the systematic oppression which is rooted in the institutions of our society nowadays. It becomes political when there is an authority who decides what is knowledge and which methods are validated in the search for this knowledge. Science has for long appeared to be neutral and apolitical, but by doing so it has ignored its own cultural heritage that has led to the oppression of minorities and those who believe other ways of knowing are possible, even if these methods are not validated by the current scientific, quantitative and qualitative paradigms. Eisner, McNiff, Hervey and Leavy, with the help of many others, have paved the way for a new paradigm to emerge. While this takes time and never will be perfect, as many different coexisting opinions, contexts and realities need to be celebrated, it shows a way, an image or a narrative, that holds power, and from this power change can and will arise.

Much has been reported about information-seeking behaviour in health contexts, specifically related to chronic diseases, however, little is known about the methods and purpose of information seeking regarding hepatitis B and C patients, given the epidemic nature of the disease. This article aims to examine information-seeking behaviour of hepatitis B and C patients using a comprehensive model of information seeking at a tertiary health institution in South Africa. A qualitative research design was used for this article. Nine patients were recruited for an interview at the Ngwelezane district hospital in KwaZulu-Natal using a convenient sampling technique at a 95 per cent confidence interval rate to collect qualitative data. The qualitative data were descriptively analysed using the "ggplot2" package of R-software and a bivariate correlational chart, generated using grid and lattice packages incorporated in the R-development platform. The majority of the participants preferred seeking information directly from health professionals about their health challenges, whereas others preferred watching television programmes on health, and reading up on hepatitis-related information regarding getting better treatment, staying safe, getting informed and increasing their chances of survival. The comprehensive model of information seeking was applied to hepatitis B and C participants' information seeking by investigating the frequency of their information seeking, their methods of information seeking, and their purpose of information seeking. This study provides insight into the preferred methods of information seeking by the participants to enable them to make informed decisions and to achieve better outcomes.

This is a desk review-based paper intended to incite debate within education and related fields, regarding the stance that girls and women who participate in TVET are likely to increase their chances of contributing to peace and development in post-conflict societies. Peace and development are inextricably intertwined. TVET plays an important role in the development of any nation, so its role in peace building and conflict prevention in the community can hardly be contested. On this account, the paper argues in support of the 'notion of educating for a culture of peace through refocusing technical and vocational education and training' programmes for the sustainable economic development of SSA; and calls on TVET institutions to do a reality check on their programmes to ensure that they are capable of delivering for girls and women the skills they need to integrate themselves in the community, and make a difference. This is important because the TVET of girls and women is essential, not only for girls and women to attain gender equality (a laudable and achievable goal!); but beyond that, to become leaders of, and contributors to, peaceful change in their countries and local communities. It is hoped that at the end of it all, this paper would have succeeded in stoking a debate on this important but often underdiscussed subject and in the process the TVET of girls and women would have been accorded its rightful place in policy discussions in the region, and by extension, other regions of the world. The TVET system envisaged in this paper is that which is well-designed, managed and funded. This is because a poorly-designed, managed and funded TVET system should not be expected to have the same impact on its graduates and their communities. The paper's theoretical underpinnings are derived, to varying extents, from the Social Learning Theory, the Human Capital Theory, the Sustainable Development theory and the Capability Approach.

Background: Patient decision aids (DAs) are support tools designed to provide patients with relevant information to help them make informed decisions about their healthcare. While DAs can be effective in improving patient knowledge and decision quality, it is unknown what types of information and evidence are used to populate such decision tools. Methods: Systematic methods were used to identify and appraise the relevant literature and patient DAs published between 2006 and 2015. Six databases (Academic Search Complete, AMED, CINAHL, Biomedical Reference Collection, General Sciences and MEDLINE) and reference list searching were used. Articles evaluating the effectiveness of the DAs were appraised using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The content, quality and sources of evidence in the decision aids were evaluated using the IPDASi-SF and a novel classification system. Findings were synthesised and a narrative analysis was performed on the results. Results: Thirteen studies representing ten DAs met the inclusion criteria. The IPDASI-SF score ranged from 9 to 16 indicating many of the studies met the majority of quality criteria. Sources of evidence were described but reports were sometimes generic or missing important information. The majority of DAs incorporated high quality research evidence including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Patient and practice evidence was less commonly employed, with only a third of included DAs using these to populate decision aid content. The quality of practice and patient evidence ranged from high to low. Contextual factors were addressed across all DAs to varying degrees and covered a range of factors. Conclusions: This is an initial study examining the information and evidence used to populate DAs. While research evidence and contextual factors are well represented in included DAs, consideration should be given to incorporating high quality information representing all four pillars of evidence based practice when developing DAs. Further, patient and expert practice evidence should be acquired rigorously and DAs should report the means by which such evidence is obtained with citations clearly provided.

Understanding human resource development strategies in good governance service practices are essential. For this reason, we have reviewed several study pieces of evidence to add to the enrichment of our study. The reading sources we are looking for are data-based sources from Google scholars, ERIC publications, and other literature sources. Furthermore, we take the analysis stage by involving the coding system, evaluation, data extract, in-depth interpretation, and drawing conclusions that are valid findings and high reliability because these findings have answered the questions and danced the hypothesis of this study. We depend on secondary data and descriptive qualitative study designs. Based on the discussion of the findings data, we can conclude that the HR governance strategy working in public service organizations is not only required for superior competence, technical skills, and mastery of the underlying laws and regulations, but they are state apparatuses that are even more crucial in shaping mental and behavioral professional, friendly in nurturing, honest, sympathetic, wise, intelligent, and highly responsible.

Search phase is considered as one of the most important steps in conducting secondary studies such as systematic literature reviews and mapping studies. In recent times, automatic search in digital libraries and academic search engines has been the preferred method of search phase execution for most software engineering related secondary studies. However, there are no previous studies that report or evaluate the secondary study relevant search features of these electronic data sources. We perform a feature analysis (screening mode) based evaluation of five widely used digital libraries (IEEE Xplore, ACM DL, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect and Wiley) in terms of their respective features required to support the search phase of secondary studies. We identify a total of 68 search related features and conduct a comprehensive exploration into their execution behaviors. The overall work presents a useful caution guide for systematic reviewers who plan to use the identified features for executing various search phase steps of their secondary studies. 1

Many have argued that the development of evidence-based policing (EBP) depends on those in law enforcement agencies receiving appropriate training in research methodologies and data analysis. Despite this, there are few detailed accounts of such training and its delivery. This paper describes and evaluates the contribution of training workshops for police officers and staff in driving forward EBP. The workshops, developed based on a model used in healthcare, sought to provide attendees with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage with research evidence during their work, and sat within a wider plan for organisational change within one force in England. We outline the development and delivery of the workshops, which were undertaken using an action research approach, and assess their impact including subsequent changes to practice. Finally, we consider the role these workshops played within organisational change, and reflect on how EBP can be promoted within academic-police collaborations.

Understanding human resource development strategies in good governance service practices are essential. For this reason, we have reviewed several study pieces of evidence to add to the enrichment of our study. The reading sources we are looking for are data-based sources from Google scholars, ERIC publications, and other literature sources. Furthermore, we take the analysis stage by involving the coding system, evaluation, data extract, in-depth interpretation, and drawing conclusions that are valid findings and high reliability because these findings have answered the questions and danced the hypothesis of this study. We depend on secondary data and descriptive qualitative study designs. Based on the discussion of the findings data, we can conclude that the HR governance strategy working in public service organizations is not only required for superior competence, technical skills, and mastery of the underlying laws and regulations, but they are state apparatuses that are even more...

Broadly, this paper is concerned with understanding what participants think about the existence and origins of COVID-19. It also sought their views regarding the barrier measures aimed at stopping the spread of the virus; how the virus can be completely eradicated, as well as the preventive measures that they think can be employed or which they have personally or collectively employed to keep safe from the virus in their communities; and whether their knowledge of COVID-19 issues is influenced in any way by their cultural perceptions or worldviews. This study adopted a mixed-method research design. The population was made up of all the inhabitants of ten randomly selected communities within the city of Yaoundé. A mixed sampling method (purposive and snowball) was employed to draw 50 participants from this population. A total of 50 questionnaires were administered. Fortysix were completed and returned, representing a 92 percent return rate. The questionnaire consisted of both close-ended and free response items. The findings have revealed that the majority of the participants, 41 (89.13%), agreed that COVID-19 exists. Nevertheless, some participants, though small in number 4 (8.70%), claimed they had never heard of COVID-19. Although participants could name barrier measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, they did not think the measures had the desired impact. The finding on how to eradicate COVID-19 in Cameroon presents a mixed picture, with participants suggesting prayers and the involvement of herbalists, and the appeasement of ancestors. The findings have further shown that the majority of the participants know of herbal treatments or remedies that can be used or which they have actually used against the COVID-19 disease in their communities. And some think their cultural perceptions about diseases, in general, equally apply to COVID-19. Finally, this study has added to existing voices on why Cameroon is struggling with convincing the population to vaccinate against the COVID-19 virus, at least as far as the participants in the participating communities in this study are concerned. It is concluded that cultural perspectives can affect health-related behaviours. While the biological sciences can help us prevent future pandemics, we argue that understanding individual behaviours, through the social sciences, including education, can improve health practices and prove critical in managing future pandemics.

Patient decision aids (DAs) are support tools designed to provide patients with relevant information to help them make informed decisions about their healthcare. While DAs can be effective in improving patient knowledge and decision quality, it is unknown what types of information and evidence are used to populate such decision tools. Systematic methods were used to identify and appraise the relevant literature and patient DAs published between 2006 and 2015. Six databases (Academic Search Complete, AMED, CINAHL, Biomedical Reference Collection, General Sciences and MEDLINE) and reference list searching were used. Articles evaluating the effectiveness of the DAs were appraised using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The content, quality and sources of evidence in the decision aids were evaluated using the IPDASi-SF and a novel classification system. Findings were synthesised and a narrative analysis was performed on the results. Thirteen studies representing ten DAs met the inclusion ...

Many have argued that the development of evidence-based policing (EBP) depends on those in law enforcement agencies receiving appropriate training in research methodologies and data analysis. Despite this, there are few detailed accounts of such training and its delivery. This paper describes and evaluates the contribution of training workshops for police officers and staff in driving forward EBP. The workshops, developed based on a model used in healthcare, sought to provide attendees with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage with research evidence during their work, and sat within a wider plan for organisational change within one force in England. We outline the development and delivery of the workshops, which were undertaken using an action research approach, and assess their impact including subsequent changes to practice. Finally, we consider the role these workshops played within organisational change, and reflect on how EBP can be promoted within academic-police collaborations.

I, OABONA ENOCK NTHEBOLANG, hereby declare that this thesis: Management of Evidence-Based Policymaking as a Pillar of the Botswana National Human Resource Development Strategy 2009-2022 is a true reflection of my own work, and it has not been submitted for a degree in any other institution of higher learning. I have also duly acknowledged all references to the best of my knowledge and in accordance with honest and acceptable academic standards. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, or the University of South Africa (UNISA) in my behalf. I, OABONA ENOCK NTHEBOLANG, grant the University of South Africa the right to reproduce this thesis in whole or in part, in any manner or format, which it may deem fit, for any person or institution requiring it for study and research.

Bullying is an internationally recognized problem and school-based bullying is particularly pervasive. KiVa is a robustly evidenced school-based antibullying programme developed and evaluated at Turku University, Finland, and subsequently disseminated across Finland. Following a positive UK trial of Unit 2 (for 10- to 12-year-olds), further UK dissemination has taken place. This study presents (a) pupil self-reported levels of victimization and bullying prior to, and after, one year of KiVa implementation (Units 1 and 2) with 7- to 11-year-olds from 41 schools, and (b) programme training and delivery costs. Data from 41 primary schools were analysed using a linear mixed model effects analysis. Results revealed statistically significant reductions in victimization and bullying after one year of programme implementation. Ongoing costs were small, at £2.84 per Key Stage 2 pupil per annum. These promising results highlight the need for further more rigorous evaluation of KiVa in the UK,...

In the current media landscape, digital devices seem to undermine traditional learning and reading practices. Overwhelmed by cognitive overload and a flood of information stimuli, constantly busy scrolling through touch screens, today's readers often show a "distracted", hasty and “impatient” approach; they skim-read through text without in-depth comprehension, thus risking to miss out on the full understanding of meanings. Following the increased diffusion of digital reading, both inside and outside of schools, researchers are called upon to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, prerogatives and risks. Do the new reading modalities restructure our cognitive habits and our thinking? Is it better to read on paper or through digital texts? Does online reading require new competencies and skills? How can we teach students to read “critically” on the screen? These are just some of the questions which this volume will try to answer, benefiting from the contribution of various branches of knowledge ranging from pedagogy to media studies, from cognitive psychology to neuroscience; standing in between the two opposing views of the "myth of superficiality" and the "myth of depth", and avoiding both uncritical optimism regarding the present and nostalgic idealization of a past forever lost.

This study shows longitudinal predictors of involvement in different bullying roles, including mental health, individual, family, peer and school predictors. The analyses were based on a longitudinal prospective study with 916 students followed up from ages 7 to 17 with 7 waves of data. Participants were selected through random sampling and were enrolled in 56 schools. Predictors were measured from ages 7 to 11 and involvement in bullying roles and trajectories from ages 11 to 17. Predictors of bullying perpetration were gender, substance use, truancy, ADHD, moral neutralization, self-control, parental monitoring, corporal punishment, liking school, and bonding with the teacher and classmates. Predictors of victimization were gender, substance use, truancy, internalizing problems, self-control, ADHD, bonding to classmates, and social activities. Predictors of bully/victims were gender, divorced parents, substance use, internalizing problems, ADHD, sensation seeking, moral neutralization, selfcontrol, corporal punishment, parental monitoring, liking school, bonding to classmates, and social activities. Truancy was a risk factor for perpetration mostly in girls; low self-control was a risk factor for perpetration especially in boys. Truant children with high classmates bonding were at high risk of perpetration. Low parental monitoring was a risk factor for perpetration in children who did not like school. Low social activities with peers were a risk factor for victimization in boys and substance use was a risk factor for victimization especially in children with low self-control. High classmates bonding was protective against victimization in non-truant children and against being a bully/victim in children with high sensation seeking. Early interventions focused on risk and protective factors could possibly protect children from bullying. Keywords Bullying. Longitudinal study. Childhood risk and protective factors School bullying is a serious public health problem, defined as long-term, frequent, and intentionally harmful aggressive behavior among students. In bullying situations, perpetrators inflict harm on victims who find it difficult to defend themselves (Smith and Brain 2000). Different bullying roles such as victims, perpetrators, and bully/victims have been described. Victimization (being bullied) is related to long-term health issues such as psychosomatic problems (Gini and Pozzoli 2013; Gini et al. 2014b) and depression later in life (Averdijk et al. 2011; Sourander et al. 2016; Ttofi et al. 2011b). School bullies have a high probability of later offending (Ttofi et al. 2011a) and drug use (Ttofi et al. 2016). Consequences for bully/victims include suicidal thoughts, behavior, and weapon carrying (Zych et al. 2015). Also, involvement in any bullying role is related to suicidal thoughts and behavior (Holt et al. 2015), weapon carrying (Valdebenito et al. 2017), and other adult psychiatric outcomes (Copeland et al. 2013). Thus, understanding and reducing school bullying are urgently needed, and protecting

This study shows longitudinal predictors of involvement in different bullying roles, including mental health, individual, family, peer and school predictors. The analyses were based on a longitudinal prospective study with 916 students followed up from ages 7 to 17 with 7 waves of data. Participants were selected through random sampling and were enrolled in 56 schools. Predictors were measured from ages 7 to 11 and involvement in bullying roles and trajectories from ages 11 to 17. Predictors of bullying perpetration were gender, substance use, truancy, ADHD, moral neutralization, self-control, parental monitoring, corporal punishment, liking school, and bonding with the teacher and classmates. Predictors of victimization were gender, substance use, truancy, internalizing problems, self-control, ADHD, bonding to classmates, and social activities. Predictors of bully/victims were gender, divorced parents, substance use, internalizing problems, ADHD, sensation seeking, moral neutralization, selfcontrol, corporal punishment, parental monitoring, liking school, bonding to classmates, and social activities. Truancy was a risk factor for perpetration mostly in girls; low self-control was a risk factor for perpetration especially in boys. Truant children with high classmates bonding were at high risk of perpetration. Low parental monitoring was a risk factor for perpetration in children who did not like school. Low social activities with peers were a risk factor for victimization in boys and substance use was a risk factor for victimization especially in children with low self-control. High classmates bonding was protective against victimization in non-truant children and against being a bully/victim in children with high sensation seeking. Early interventions focused on risk and protective factors could possibly protect children from bullying. Keywords Bullying. Longitudinal study. Childhood risk and protective factors School bullying is a serious public health problem, defined as long-term, frequent, and intentionally harmful aggressive behavior among students. In bullying situations, perpetrators inflict harm on victims who find it difficult to defend themselves (Smith and Brain 2000). Different bullying roles such as victims, perpetrators, and bully/victims have been described. Victimization (being bullied) is related to long-term health issues such as psychosomatic problems (Gini and Pozzoli 2013; Gini et al. 2014b) and depression later in life (Averdijk et al. 2011; Sourander et al. 2016; Ttofi et al. 2011b). School bullies have a high probability of later offending (Ttofi et al. 2011a) and drug use (Ttofi et al. 2016). Consequences for bully/victims include suicidal thoughts, behavior, and weapon carrying (Zych et al. 2015). Also, involvement in any bullying role is related to suicidal thoughts and behavior (Holt et al. 2015), weapon carrying (Valdebenito et al. 2017), and other adult psychiatric outcomes (Copeland et al. 2013). Thus, understanding and reducing school bullying are urgently needed, and protecting

Following some background studies on the nature of school bullying, its prevalence, and the negative consequences it can have, this article reviews the history of anti-bullying interventions over the last 30 years. It considers several major programmes in detail, such as the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, KiVa, Steps to Respect, and Friendly Schools. The nature and evaluation of the interventions is discussed, followed by a review of meta-analyses of the programmes effectiveness. Issues considered are the effect at different ages; components of interventions; work with peers; disciplinary methods, non-punitive and restorative approaches; challenges regarding cyberbullying; the role of parents; the role of teachers and teacher training; set menu versus à la carte approaches; sustainability of interventions and societal context. Conclusions show that interventions have had some success, with traditional bullying. However, further progress is needed in strengthening theoretical un...

The development and use of ICTs and the internet has changed the way things are done in the world forever. The way of acquiring knowledge, through e-learning, is one of the significant changes. This study investigates the current status and future of e-learning strategy in educational institutions in Cameroon. The study adopts a case study approach. The sample consists of eight (8) educational institutions-four tertiary and four secondary. The findings have revealed the range of problems encountered in the integration of e-learning in schools and the strategies that could be adopted to improve e-learning in educational institutions. The most used e-learning platforms in schools are: Claroline in secondary schools; and Moodle, Coursera, and EdX (mostly MOOCs-Open Online Courses), in higher education institutions. It was concluded that all is not well with e-learning in the sampled institutions as the incorporation of the learning strategy in these institutions is yet to fully take root; and this might also give an indication of the current situation of e-learning in the country as a whole; especially considering the fact that all the schools studied are in the capital.

Despite increasing knowledge of potential benefits of research utilization in improving quality of healthcare management decision (HMDs) outcomes and practice, the use of research evidence by healthcare authorities continues to be a global concern. We examined the organizational contextual predictors of research utilization in management decisions of healthcare authorities in Arua district local government. The observational cross-sectional survey design was used, involving 225 questionnaires and nine key informant interviews, and the extent of influence of organizational contests was determined by estimation of predicted probabilities, and the corresponding odds ratios and coefficients using the binary logistic regression model. The results reveal that research utilization was significantly influenced by organizational context, whose overall predicted probability was 0.001 (p<0.05), with access to library (p=0.023), performance monitoring (p=0.029), information sharing (p=0.014) and participation in formal meetings (p=0.016) being significant predictors with fairly high odds ratios. These findings highlight the combined importance of performance monitoring, sharing information (social capital), access to library and participation in formal meetings (formal interaction) as significant predictors of increased research utilization. Even-though, sharing information showed strongest positive influence, which implies that workplace measures that promote sharing of information were about four times more likely to increase research uptake.

Criminal justice, a social science discipline intersecting law, psychiatry, psychology, sociology, and social work, continues to work towards developing effective solutions to crime control and reduction.  Increasing numbers of criminologists are engaging an applied evidence-based strategy used widely in medical and public health research. These rigorous research methods more validly assess the effects of mandated programs and policies in criminal justice. This chapter provides a foundational understanding of the circumstances that birthed the traditional approach to research taken by criminologists and how several factors are moving the field to using an evidence-based approach.  Two overarching recommendations from this review are the need for 1) more classes in experimental research at the graduate level, and 2) mentoring young criminologists on ways to run experiments within criminal justice agencies to ensure continued use of these methods by the next generation of criminologists.

Bullying episodes among children are common in preschool settings. Bullying has adverse and enduring effects on children's socio-emotional development. Bullying prevention is crucial to children's adjustment in school environment, promotion of their safety and well-being. Within this framework, the present study aims to present the use of interactive digital storytelling in raising awareness of bullying in early childhood settings which is regarded essential to bullying prevention. It describes the design of an interactive digital storytelling scenario, named "Anthoula's Dreams" for screening children's reactions to bullying situations and developing empathy in children. Digital storytelling could be a valuable tool in bullying prevention, as its narrative power can actively engage children in a simulation condition of bullying, stimulates identification with the characters of the story and emotional involvement. The script features a five-year-old girl who receives rejection by her classmates. The scenario is a branching story structured with an interactive plot and its final form will be combined with animation. Children can elaborate on the scenario through the narrative choices of a branching story. The interactive story enables children to participate and affect the plot of the story. The emergence of different options to address the situation lead to different results in the continuum of bullying. The end of the story is not predetermined by the author and the story usually emerges during the narrative. Children are expected to make decisions for the narration evolvement. The content causes emotions which can enhance the cognitive and emotional involvement of preschool children in their interactions with the main character of the story, as they will be forced to make decisions for the narrative to develop. The induction and utilization of emotions facilitates the development of empathy. Children's narrative choices through the story branches are expected to more consistently reflect their own strategies if they were intimidated. They are also required to choose from predefined options of strategies those that will lead to the settlement of the bullying situation. The interactive scenario can enhance the problem-solving skills of

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to analyze the evidence-based research strategy (EBRS) used to evaluate eight projects that applied the neighborhood approach for disaster risk reduction (NA-DRR) in informal urban settlements in Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica and Peru, between 2012 and 2017. Design/methodology/approach-The study covers the first five of the seven EBRS stages: first, identify relevant interventions; second, prepare evaluation questions; third, select evidence sources and implement a search strategy; fourth, appraise evidences and identify gaps; fifth, create an evaluation design to include an extensive literature review, followed by a mixed research method with surveys, focus groups and interviews; disaster risk modeling; georeferencing analysis; and engineering inspections. The last two stages: sixth, apply the evidence, and seventh, evaluate the evidence application, will be addressed in a near future. Findings-Even though the reference to "evidence" is frequent in the DRR field, it is largely based on descriptive processes, anecdotal references, best practices, lessons learned and case studies, and particularly deficient on the subject of informal and precariousness settlements. The evaluation allowed a deep and broad analysis of NA-DRR in urban informal settlements, comparing it with other DRR strategies implemented by different stakeholders in fragile urban settings, assessing the effectiveness and sustainability of the various DRR interventions. Originality/value-The abundant data, information and knowledge generated will serve as foundation for forthcoming thematic peer-reviewed publications informing evidence-based DRR research, policy and practice, with emphasis on informal and precariousness settlements in particular.

The goal of this evaluation is to improve the understanding of the Urban Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programming carried out in Latin America and The Caribbean, and supported by the United States Agency for International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA). The study focused on eight DRR projects awarded by USAID in Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, and Peru, between FY2012 and FY2016. The projects applied the USAID Neighborhood Approach (NA) to find practical and workable solutions for DRR in densely populated informal urban settlements. Two objectives and specific questions were defined for this evaluation: (1) the effectiveness and (2) the sustainability of the NA. The study comprised an extensive literature review, followed by a mixed research method, including surveys, focus groups, and interviews; disaster risk modeling; georeferencing analysis; and engineering inspections. Finally, an integrative process—triangulation—was used to analyze the data obtained from multiple theoretical positions. The study confirmed that neighborhoods are a living fabric of social, economic, and physical features that provide the residents of a particular territory with an identity, a sense of security, safety, and familiarity. The USAID-NA expands the consideration of DRR interventions beyond individuals and households to a settlement approach, addressing critical disaster risk drivers and development gaps, and encouraging a long-term vision. The study showed the need to balance physical and social interventions to match individual and collective needs, support community cohesion and self-determination, and meet expectations associated with the common good and community resilience.

The collation of results has been a much-exploited weakness in Nigeria's election process, since the country's return to democratic civilian rule in May 1999. Collation is the process by which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) aggregates and tabulates polling unit-level results via a multi-layered process, starting from the ward level, through the local government and state levels, to the federal level at the INEC national headquarters.
The integrity of this collation process is fundamental to the overall success and credibility of Nigerian elections. If conducted in a transparently organised and well-regulated way, collation will produce credible election results and boost voter confidence in the process. In the 2019 elections, however, civil society observers all across Nigeria saw a collation process that was chaotic, vulnerable to manipulation and, in some locations, violently disrupted and unnecessarily opaque.
The documentary evidences that informed the in-depth analysis in this report were gathered from the INEC accredited 8,809 observers CDD and its partners deployed during the 2019 elections. In addition, the Zabe SR (software) was further used in collecting data during the elections. Other sources of data include from CDD partners across the civil society organizations and the media, and also from the outputs from CDD Election Analysis Centre.”

The Golden Rule of Forecasting is a general rule that applies to all forecasting problems. The Rule was developed using logic and was tested against evidence from previously published comparison studies. The evidence suggests that a single violation of the Golden Rule is likely to increase forecast error by 44%. Some commentators argue that the Rule is not generally applicable, but do not challenge the logic or evidence provided. While further research might provide useful findings, available evidence justifies adopting the Rule now. People with no prior training in forecasting can obtain the substantial benefits of following the Golden Rule by using the Checklist to identify biased and unscientific forecasts at little cost.

Objective – The primary objective was to examine online journal database usage statistics for a provincial ministry of health in the context of evidence based decision-making. In addition, the study highlights implementation of the Journal Access Centre (JAC) that is housed and powered by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) to inform health systems policy-making.
Methods – This was a prospective case study using descriptive analysis of the JAC usage statistics of journal articles from January 2009 to September 2013.
Results – JAC enables ministry employees to access approximately 12,000 journals with full-text articles. JAC usage statistics for the 2011-2012 calendar years demonstrate a steady level of activity in terms of searches, with monthly averages of 5,129. In 2009-2013, a total of 4,759 journal titles were accessed including 1,675 journals with full-text. Usage statistics demonstrate that the actual consumption was over 12,790 full-text downloaded articles or approximately 2,700 articles annually.
Conclusion – JAC’s steady level of activities, revealed by the study, reflects continuous demand for JAC services and products. It testifies that access to online journal databases has become part of routine government knowledge management processes. MOHLTC’s broad area of responsibilities with dynamically changing priorities translates into the diverse information needs of its employees and a large set of required journals. Usage statistics indicate that MOHLTC information needs cannot be mapped to a reasonably compact set of “core” journals with a subsequent subscription to those.

Available at: <https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/28052>.

The validity of the manmade global warming alarm requires the support of scientific forecasts of (1) a substantive long-term rise in global mean temperatures in the absence of regulations, (2) serious net harmful effects due to global warming, and (3) cost-effective regulations that would produce net beneficial effects versus alternatives policies, including doing nothing.

Across Europe, there is an increasing demand for good evidence that can inform policies aimed at reducing violence against and among children and adolescents. However, there is still a paucity of high-quality research on effective prevention of bullying and violence, and researchers from different parts of Europe rarely discuss their findings. The focus section of this issue of the International Journal of Conflict and Violence brings together work by prominent prevention scholars from across Europe, who show that significant progress is being made. The introduction presents nine recommendations about how prevention re-
search could be further strengthened in Europe.

Across Europe, there is an increasing demand for  good evidence that can inform policies aimed at reducing violence against and among children and adolescents. However, there is still a paucity of high-quality research on the effective prevention of bullying and violence. This position paper
outlines nine recommendations for a European research policy that can contribute to achieving a significant reduction in bullying and violence.

The risk of etopicpregnancy to a woman using an IUCD is lower than woman using no form of birth control. However, of pregnancies that do occur during IUCD use, a higher than the expected 3-4% are ectopic. Fairlure rate of the copper IUCD is about 0.8% and 0.2% for levonorgestrel IUCD in the first year of use. Data on the occurance of the ectopic with IUCD in situ is scanty, with no record of any such case in Ghana or West Afica.
The case of a 28 year old woman is presented here with the literature review.

The Family Competence Program, the Spanish Adaptation of the Strengthening Families Program 6-11 has been implemented in contexts of drug treatment programs and in contexts of social services. Here the longitudinal analysis will refer to the results in the applications in the context of social services and drug addiction treatment services. Materials and Methods: SFP has been applied with a cuasi-experimental design with control group and pretest and post-test . Also with follow-ups the two years after the end of the program. The sample counts with 290 families that participated in the program and 21 families that participated in the control group. Results: Positive changes are observed in six fundamental family factors, in the short term, and also in the 2 years follow-up. Conclusions: Short-term results could show overvalued results, which are corrected with the follow-up analysis.

Calls to list polar bears as a threatened species under the United States Endangered Species Act are based on forecasts of substantial long-term declines in their population. Nine government reports were written to help US Fish and Wildlife Service managers decide whether or not to list polar bears as a threatened species. We assessed these reports based on evidence-based (scientific) forecasting principles. None of the reports referred to sources of scientific forecasting methodology. Of the nine, Amstrup et al. [Amstrup, S. C., B. G. Marcot, D. C. Douglas. 2007. Forecasting the rangewide status of polar bears at selected times in the 21st century. Administrative Report, USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK.] and Hunter et al. [Hunter, C. M., H. Caswell, M. C. Runge, S. C. Amstrup, E. V. Regehr, I. Stirling. 2007. Polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea II: Demography and population growth in relation to sea ice conditions. Administrative Report, USGS Alaska Science Center,
Anchorage, AK.] were the most relevant to the listing decision, and we devoted our attention to them. Their forecasting procedures depended on a complex set of assumptions, including the erroneous assumption that general circulation models provide valid forecasts of summer sea ice in the regions that polar bears inhabit. Nevertheless, we audited their conditional forecasts of what would happen to the polar bear population assuming, as the authors did, that the extent of summer sea ice would decrease substantially during the coming decades. We found that Amstrup et al. properly applied 15 percent of relevant forecasting principles and Hunter et al. 10 percent. Averaging across the two papers, 46 percent of the principles were clearly contravened and 23 percent were apparently contravened. Consequently, their forecasts are unscientific and inconsequential to decision makers. We recommend that researchers apply all relevant principles properly when important public-policy decisions depend on their forecasts.