Free online educational tool: understanding evidence in violence prevention

A free, interactive, online tool on understanding evidence in violence prevention work has been developed. Understanding Evidence seeks to support evidence based decision-making, defined as a "process for making decisions about a program, practice, or policy that is grounded in the best available research evidence and informed by experiential evidence from the field and relevant contextual evidence".

The online tool encompasses three modules:

• best available research evidence;
• experiential evidence (evidence that is based on the professional insight, understanding, skill, and expertise that is accumulated over time and is often referred to as intuitive or tacit knowledge); and
• contextual evidence (evidence that is based on factors that address whether a strategy is useful, feasible to implement, and accepted by a particular community).

It supports learners to:

• define these three types of evidence involved in evidence based decision-making;
• identify standards of rigor across the key dimensions that make up the best available research evidence;
• identify sources of and ways to collect best available research evidence, contextual evidence and experiential evidence; and
• identify key stages and characteristics of an evidence based decision-making process.

Additional resources and tools available in the Resource Center include module summaries, videos, case studies and a glossary.

A Guide to the continuum of effectiveness explains key terminology and clarifies and defines standards of rigor in research studies.

The resources have been developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.