An article sought to identify and evaluate potential strategies for increasing the impact of systematic reviews on policy in healthcare. Such strategies might include incorporating active strategies for dissemination and knowledge transfer: but more work was needed to evaluate their benefits.
Source: Frances Bunn and Katie Sworn, 'Strategies to promote the impact of systematic reviews on healthcare policy: a systematic review of the literature', Evidence & Policy, Volume 7 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article drew on theoretical and epistemological insights from feminism and the sociology of childhood to explore some of the tensions and contradictions facing adults involved in children's research.
Source: Vicki Coppock, 'Children as peer researchers: reflections on a journey of mutual discovery', Children & Society, Volume 25 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A new 18-country version was released of a tax-benefit micro-simulation model for the European Union.
Source: Press release 19 December 2011, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: ISER press release
Date: 2011-Dec
An article used data from a Department of Health funded study to explore the views of those working within the policy process about the role of evidence. It highlighted a tension between formative and summative uses of research; and also uncertainty about the status of 'pathfinder', 'demonstration', and 'pilot' sites within the policy process.
Source: Ailsa Cameron, Chris Salisbury, Rachel Lart, Kate Stewart, Stephen Peckham, Michael Calnan, Sarah Purdy, and Helen Thorp, 'Policy makers' perceptions on the use of evidence from evaluations', Evidence & Policy, Volume 7 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article compared the increasing use of photography and other media arts within social research with participatory approaches to socially engaged documentary and art-based photographic practice.
Source: Andrew Robinson, 'Giving voice and taking pictures: participatory documentary and visual research', People, Place & Policy, Volume 5 Issue 3
Links: Article
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined concerns that social care research might be stifled by health-focused ethical scrutiny under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and by the requirement for an 'appropriate body' to determine ethical approval for research involving people who were deemed to lack capacity under the Act to make decisions concerning their participation and consent in research.
Source: Jonathan Parker, Bridget Penhale, and David Stanley, 'Social care and social science research and the Mental Capacity Act 2005', Ethics and Social Welfare, Volume 5 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper examined the effects on survey quality of the use of mixed modes in data collection, where the web was used as one of the modes.
Source: Shirley Dex and Julia Gumy, On the Experience and Evidence About Mixing Modes of Data Collection in Large-Scale Surveys Where the Web Is Used As One of the Modes in Data Collection, National Centre for Research Methods (University of Southampton)
Date: 2011-Dec
A new textbook set out a systematic approach to conducting literature reviews.
Source: Andrew Booth, Diana Papaioannou, and Anthea Sutton, Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review, SAGE Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Dec
A report set out a 'road map' for ageing research, designed to enable Europe to respond successfully to unprecedented demographic challenges.
Source: A Road Map for European Ageing Research, FUTURAGE
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the importance of involving children and listening to their voices and perspectives in research (based on studies in a range of European countries). All young children had the competence to engage in research as sophisticated thinkers and communicators, and the inclusion of children's views was essential to understanding their life worlds.
Source: Deborah Harcourt and Johanna Einarsdottir, 'Introducing children's perspectives and participation in research', European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, Volume 19 Issue 3
Links: Article
Date: 2011-Nov
A new book said that schools that took research seriously – both their own and published studies – were less likely to accept edicts from central bodies and more likely to trust their own judgment.
Source: Raphael Wilkins, Research Engagement for School Development, Institute of Education (University of London)
Links: IOE press release
Date: 2011-Nov
A new book examined contemporary quantitative approaches to gender research. It challenged the stereotype that quantitative research was antithetical to feminism, and emphasized its importance for challenging global inequalities associated with gendered outcomes.
Source: Christina Hughes and Rachel Cohen (eds.), Feminism Counts: Quantitative methods and researching gender, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Oct
An article examined claims for methodological innovation in qualitative research, based on a review of 57 papers. Most claims were made for new methods or designs, with the remainder claiming adaptations or adoption of existing methodological innovations. The evidence provided of wholly new methodologies or designs was 'limited'. Over-claiming innovation, in the sense of the development of a wholly new methodology or design, had a number of important implications that were potentially detrimental to qualitative social science.
Source: Rose Wiles, Graham Crow, and Helen Pain, ' Innovation in qualitative research methods: a narrative review', Qualitative Research, Volume 11 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Oct
The report of an expert group sought to identify the framework for a new and more coherent methodology to assess the research produced by European universities.
Source: Expert Group on Assessment of University-Based Research, Assessing Europe s University-Based Research, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Aug
An article examined evidence relating to the effectiveness of strategies to increase the use of research in healthcare policy decisions.
Source: Gabriel Moore, Sally Redman, Mary Haines, and Angela Todd, 'What works to increase the use of research in population health policy and programmes: a review', Evidence & Policy, Volume 7 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Aug
A paper examined the problem of maintaining cross-sectional representativeness in a longitudinal survey of a changing population.
Source: Peter Lynn, Maintaining Cross-Sectional Representativeness in a Longitudinal General Population Survey, Understanding Society Working Paper 2011- 04, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2011-Aug
A report said that there was no evidence to support the idea that research excellence in higher education institutions was correlated with scale.
Source: Evidence Ltd, Funding Research Excellence: Research group size, critical mass & performance, University Alliance
Links: Report | University Alliance press release | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2011-Jul
A report by a committee of MPs said that the general oversight of scientific research integrity was 'unsatisfactory and complacent'. There was no oversight body for research integrity covering advice and assurance functions across all disciplines, and there was a need for an external regulator. The MPs also highlighted concerns about the use of journal 'impact factor' as a proxy measure for the quality of research or of individual articles.
Source: Peer Review in Scientific Publications, Eighth Report (Session 2010-12), HC 856, House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Additional written evidence | BBC report | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2011-Jul
A survey examined the training needs of academic social scientists. Handling non-response, structural equation modelling, and panel data analysis were the three most sought after quantitative topics; and narrative inquiry, action research, and ethnographic fieldwork were the most sought after qualitative topics.
Source: Sean Moley and Rose Wiles, Assessment of Research Methods Training Needs Among UK Academic Social Scientists, ESRC National Centre for Research Methods
Links: Report | NCRM press release
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the role of social sciences research in making criminal justice policy.
Source: Making the Case for the Social Sciences No. 4: Crime, Academy of Social Sciences
Links: Report | ASS press release
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined young people s involvement in social work research.
Source: Jennie Fleming, 'Young people s involvement in research: still a long way to go?', Qualitative Social Work, Volume 10 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A study examined government commissioning of social research. It concluded that any of the three procurement methods in use could be successful, provided best practice were utilized. It also found that the procurement method did not substantially affect the relationship between commissioner and supplier.
Source: Carol Goldstone Associates, Different Ways of Procuring Social Research in Government, Social Research Association
Links: Report | Nuffield Foundation press release
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined service user participation within qualitative social work research.
Source: Malcolm Carey, 'Should I stay or should I go? Practical, ethical and political challenges to "service user" participation within social work research', Qualitative Social Work, Volume 10 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined the impact and consequences of increased ethical regulation of social research. It said that extending ethical regulation threatened social research – in particular the study of 'sensitive' topics with 'vulnerable' populations. Increased regulation might place vulnerable participants at greater risk than sensitive research previously undertaken with such groups.
Source: Margaret Melrose, 'Regulating social research: exploring the implications of extending ethical review procedures in social research', Sociological Research Online, Volume 16 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper examined the role of interviewers' experience, attitudes, personality traits, and inter-personal skills in determining survey co-operation.
Source: Annette Jackle, Peter Lynn, Jennifer Sinibaldi, and Sarah Tipping, The Effect of Interviewer Personality, Skills and Attitudes on Respondent Co-Operation with Face-To-Face Surveys, Working Paper 2011-14, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A report presented an overview of the socio-economic research funded by the European Union and linked to the Europe 2020 strategy.
Source: Databases from Socio-Economic Research Projects for Policymaking, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined how questionnaire structure affected survey interaction in the context of dependent interviewing.
Source: SC Noah Uhrig and Emanuela Sala, 'When change matters: an analysis of survey interaction in dependent interviewing on the British Household Panel Study', Sociological Methods & Research, Volume 40 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A think-tank report examined university research funding. It said that if the coalition government concentrated even more research funding in a small number of universities, it would undermine its own objectives of promoting innovation and economic growth.
Source: Research that Matters, Million+
Links: Report | Million+ press release
Date: 2011-May
An article compared native and non-native language interviews. Non-native interviewers found it easier to elicit information from native interviewees: the interviewer was obliged to let interviewees define their concepts, deferring to their position as a language authority and recognizing one aspect of the power relationship.
Source: Shu-Hsin Chen, 'Power relations between the researcher and the researched: an analysis of native and nonnative ethnographic interviews', Field Methods, Volume 23 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A new textbook provided an introduction to research methods in the field of crime and justice and related areas, including police, prisons, and criminal justice policy-making.
Source: Louise Westmarland, Researching Crime and Justice: Tales from the field, Willan Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Apr
A paper examined the effect of interview mode on responses to attitudinal and autobiographical questions. Small but significant mode effects of 3-7 percentage points were found on the response pattern for the domains of national identity, religion, racial or ethnic background, political beliefs, and sexual orientation. There were also very small but significant mode effects of 1-2 percentage points on item non-response for occupational identity and identification with father's ethnic background. Mode effects on these questions could convincingly be interpreted as stemming from social desirability bias.
Source: Alita Nandi and Lucinda Platt, Effect of Interview Modes on Measurement of Identity, Understanding Society Working Paper 2011-02, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A paper described the geographical identifiers that were being made available for the Understanding Society longitudinal study, allowing researchers to merge external data at different geographical levels to individuals' responses.
Source: Birgitta Rabe, Geographical Identifiers in Understanding Society Version 1, Understanding Society Working Paper 2011- 01, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A study examined the desirability and feasibility of developing guidance to help decide when and how ethnicity should be included in research projects that were relevant to social policy.
Source: Sarah Salway et al., Ethnic Diversity and Inequality: Ethical and Scientific Rigour in Social Research, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2011-Mar
A paper provided an overview of the design of a qualitative sub-study of 170 members of the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study, known as the National Child Development Study. The aim was to provide a resource for other researchers wishing to use this data set, and to reflect on the methodological advantages and disadvantages posed by conducting qualitative biographical interviews with a sub-sample of members of an existing longitudinal quantitative study.
Source: Jane Elliott, Andrew Miles, Sam Parsons, and Mike Savage, The Design and Content of the Social Participation Study: A qualitative sub-study conducted as part of the age 50 (2008) sweep of the National Child Development Study, Working Paper 93, Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (University of Manchester)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Mar
A report examined the use of place typologies to understand how socio-economic conditions and the performance of public sector organizations varied from one place to another.
Source: Ruth Lupton, Rebecca Tunstall, Alex Fenton, and Rich Harris, Using and Developing Place Typologies for Policy Purposes, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined ways to strengthen the available tools/guidance for analysts to convert data on public service effectiveness between different, but overlapping, geographies; and to support analysts working on programmes where published data did not match policy and delivery needs.
Source: Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion, Understanding Performance in a Flexible, Decentralised Approach to Delivery: A practical guide to converting data between different geographies, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Feb
A new book examined user engagement in social science research – how it could be achieved, and the challenges and opportunities it presented for researchers and research users.
Source: Mark Rickinson, Anne Edwards, and Judy Sebba, Improving Research Through User Engagement, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Feb
A paper examined the causes of survey error resulting from data collection using mobile phones.
Source: Peter Lynn and Olena Kaminska, The Impact of Mobile Phones on Survey Measurement Error, Working Paper 2011-07, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
A new book examined how social science was applied in practice. There was no such thing as a 'pure' science of the social, and attempts to mimic the approaches of the conventional 'hard sciences' were mostly useless.
Source: David Byrne, Applying Social Science: The role of social research in politics, policy and practice, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the definitions, concepts, and methods used in welfare modelling. Insufficient attention had been paid to the 'analytical basis' of welfare regimes.
Source: Martin Powell and Armando Barrientos, 'An audit of the welfare modelling business', Social Policy and Administration, Volume 45 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
The European Commission began consultation on future European Union research and innovation funding. It proposed an approach that focused more directly on tackling the most pressing 'societal challenges'.
Source: From Challenges to Opportunities: Towards a common strategic framework for EU research and innovation funding, European Commission
Links: Consultation document | European Commission press release | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined ways in which the findings of economic and social research could contribute to tackling a wide range of problems – including public services reform, housing finance, lifelong learning, the 'long tail' in educational achievement, and making work pay.
Source: Romesh Vaitilingam, Recovery Britain: Research evidence to underpin a productive, fair and sustainable return to growth, Economic and Social Research Council
Links: Report | ESRC press release
Date: 2011-Feb
A report presented the findings of freedom of information requests made to four central government departments in December 2010, relating to cancelled and curtailed research projects and statistical data collection since the election of the coalition government in May 2010. Scrapped projects included include an evaluation of academies established under the Labour governments (1997-2010); a survey of disabled children's services; a project on lone parents; and a survey of the public's views on social cohesion, discrimination, and race relations (the 'Citizenship Survey').
Source: Simon Tanner, Summary of FOI Requests on Cancelled and Curtailed Research Projects since May 2010, Radical Statistics Group
Links: Report | Children & Young People Now report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Feb
A paper examined how social research might be able to 'make a bigger difference' than previously, through a wider repertoire of approaches to its creation, communication, and application.
Source: Huw Davies and Alison Powell, Helping Social Research Make a Difference: Exploration of a wider repertoire of approaches to communicating and influencing through research, Research Unit for Research Utilisation (University of St Andrews)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Feb
A new textbook examined the laws, guidelines, and debates relating to the ethics of research with children and young people.
Source: Priscilla Alderson and Virginia Morrow, The Ethics of Research with Children and Young People: A practical handbook, SAGE Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jan
An independent European advisory body produced guidance detailing which member state's law applied to the gathering or processing of personal data, including for educational and research purposes.
Source: Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, Opinion 8/2010 on Applicable Law, European Commission
Links: Guidance
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined how to disentangle attrition and panel conditioning effects in panel surveys, and developed tests for panel conditioning allowing for non-random attrition.
Source: Marcel Das, Vera Toepoel, and Arthur van Soest, 'Nonparametric tests of panel conditioning and attrition bias in panel surveys', Sociological Methods & Research, Volume 40 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined the problems associated with paying service users for involvement in research. Finding a solution was pivotal to improving research involvement for disabled people.
Source: Wendy Rickard and Rachel Purtell, 'Finding a way to pay in the UK: methods and mechanisms for paying service users involved in research', Disability & Society, Volume 26 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A new book examined the problem of non-response in household surveys, providing an overview of the theory and also describing practical implications.
Source: Jelke Bethlehem, Fannie Cobben, and Barry Schouten, Handbook of Nonresponse in Household Surveys, Wiley
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined the formulation of general policy conclusions based on social science investigations. It said that the technique of 'phronesis' developed principles for doing so experientially, setting them against empirical evidence, and did not need to consider underlying causal mechanisms in order to be effective. Phronesis provided the basis for a critique of technocratic approaches, a rationale for action, and a focus for the development of alternative methods and approaches. A dependence on phronesis could not avoid all the pitfalls associated with generalization: but it was more flexible, and less presumptuous, than a causal approach.
Source: Paul Spicker, 'Generalisation and phronesis: rethinking the methodology of social policy', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 40 Issue 1
Links: Abstract | Response (1) | Response (2)
Date: 2011-Jan
A paper examined whether the probability of a sample member participating at a particular wave of a panel survey was greater if the same interviewer was deployed as in the previous wave.
Source: Peter Lynn, Olena Kaminska, and Harvey Goldstein, Panel Attrition: How Important is it to Keep the Same Interviewer?, Working Paper 2011-02, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan