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Systematic Research Synthesis to Inform Policy, Practice and Democratic Debate

Gough, David, Elbourne, Diana·2002·Social Policy and Society

Abstract

Issues surrounding the role and provision of evidence to inform policy and practice have become topical and problematic. The context of these controversies is discussed, with particular emphasis on systematic approaches to synthesising research evidence. We contrast the ‘positivist’ emphasis with interpretative qualitative synthesis, and suggest that many of the viewpoints have become unnecessarily and unhelpfully polarised. The methods for systematic research syntheses will vary as they depend on the question being asked. The process is transparent, allowing readers to see how conclusions have been reached, and forms the basis of reviews which can be updated to help provide sustainable and relevant evidence.

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Metadata

Authors
Gough, D., & Elbourne, D.
Venue
Social Policy and Society
Published
2002-06-24
Volume
1
Issue
3
Pages
225-236
ISSN
  • 1474-7464 (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-3073
OpenAlex
W2124542805
Cited by
161
References
0
FWCI
7.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Systematic Research Synthesis to Inform Policy, Practice and Democratic Debate. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1017/s147474640200307x
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Gough, D., & Elbourne, D. (2002). Systematic Research Synthesis to Inform Policy, Practice and Democratic Debate. Social Policy and Society. https://doi.org/10.1017/s147474640200307x

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