Presenter: Dr Gill Westhorp
Date: Sep 17, 2015
Time: 9:00am to 4:00pm
Contact person:
Katrina Britnell, Partnerships Coordinator, Northern Institute
T:
08 8946 6838
E:
katrina.britnell@cdu.edu.au
Location: Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University - Casuarina Campus, Yellow Building 1, Level 2, Room 48 (Savanna Room)
WORKSHOP TWO
Rapid Realist Review
Systematic reviews, or evidence syntheses, draw together many sources of evidence into a single document which aims to present a set of ‘sufficiently evidenced’ findings to inform policy or programs. Examples include Cochrane reviews (primarily health focused) and Campbell reviews (in social policy areas such as education, international development, welfare or justice). Both of these set strict guidelines about what findings are ‘sufficiently evidenced’, focus primarily on findings about outcomes of interventions, and preference findings from Randomised Control Trials (RCTs).
Realist reviews, in contrast, explicitly set out to explore multiple kinds of evidence in order to establish what works for whom, in what respects and to what extent, in what circumstances, and how. The processes by which realist reviews are undertaken are therefore very different from those for other forms of systematic review, and the rules about how to assess the quality of evidence are also different. (Publication standards, quality standards and training materials for realist reviews can be found at www.ramesesproject.org.) Realist reviews can be both large and time-consuming, and rapid realist review has been developed to manage the scale of the task.
This workshop will:
- explain the key differences between realist review and other forms of systematic review;
- introduce the RAMESES standards for realist review and other resources to support researchers undertaking syntheses;
- explain the differences between realist review and rapid realist review;
- provide practical guidance and examples for specific steps in rapid realist review, including developing appropriate questions, eliciting program theory, literature searching, data extraction, analysis and writing up; and
- provide opportunities for participants to practise applying the ideas to their topics.
Target audience: This workshop targets researchers and evaluators who are undertaking, or wish to undertake, a realist review or a rapid realist review. All participants are requested to bring a potential topic for a review. PhD candidates and supervisors, and commissioners of reviews may also find it of value. All participants are expected to have at least a working knowledge of literature review, and it would be of benefit to have an understanding of realist approaches to research (such as that offered in the workshop 11 September). The workshop will take into account that some participants will be working in English as a foreign language.
About the Workshop Facilitator: Dr Gill Westhorp
Gill Westhorp is a specialist in realist research and evaluation methodologies, with an interest in the relationship between realist and complexity theories. She is Director of a small research and evaluation consultancy company specialising in realist approaches; a Professorial Fellow at Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia; an Associate at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia; a member of the core team for the RAMESES I (standards for realist review) and RAMESES II (standards for realist evaluation) projects based in Oxford, UK; and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Centre for the Advancement of Realist Evaluation and Synthesis (CARES) at Liverpool University, UK.