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 Evaluating Research: Methodology for people who need to read research
Cecilia Moretti, PHC RIS
For people with a close familiarity with research methods, reading through poor quality research rings a number of alarm bells. However, there are many people who rely on research to inform their work, who don't necessarily have a strong background in conducting research, and may not easily recognise the problems. The book, Evaluating Research: Methodology for People Who Need to Read Research, by Francis C. Dane, is written for such an audience - primarily policy makers who need to develop programs based on the strongest possible evidence of what works, and what does not.
Dane notes that too often readers and users of research are prepared to yield to the 'authority' of the research authors who are, after all, considered experts in their field. But the ability to critically appraise any piece of research is an essential measure to gauge the quality and applicability of the work. As in all things, there is good quality research and lesser quality research, and Dane sets about equipping readers with the skills and foresight to judge the difference.
There are some useful techniques outlined for critically appraising research reports, using the, who, what, where, when, how and why questions familiar to journalistic enquiry. The SQR3 framework for critical reading is also explained, whereby readers survey, query, read, recite and review the work to develop a sound understanding of all its components. These techniques encourage the reader to think about what the research is about, who is conducting it, the appropriateness of the design and methods employed, how to interpret the presented results, and where and how the results might be used to inform decision-making. Dane then goes on to describe the various types of research, to ground users in the key concepts involved, and to develop confidence in evaluating how well the rules and conventions have been adhered to.
The book provides an important contribution to developing evidence-based policy making, but equipping policy makers with the skills and confidence to evaluate research findings and apply them where appropriate.
Reference
Dane FC. (2011). Evaluating Research: Methodology for people who need to read research. Los Angeles: Sage
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