Evidence informed practice
Overview
Evidence informed practice (EIP) in education is an approach used to make decisions by bringing together:
- The best research available that uses rigorous methodologies
- Teaching knowledge, skills and practices
- Stakeholder needs, values and circumstances
Adapted definition, and image from What is an evidence-informed approach to practice and why is it important? Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0.
Learn more
- Engaging with evidence toolkitStep by step help on how people can use evidence to inform policy. Includes 7 modules: The introduction to evidence use, Rationale and objectives; Appraisal, Monitoring, Feedback and Embedding and sustaining.
Formulating questions
Asking the right question(s), in the right way, is critical to evidence informed practice.
Use the below to guide you in forming a question or questions.
Guiding questions |
Further considerations |
| What are trying to find out? |
Are you trying to understand:
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| What stakeholders does this matter to, or effect? |
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| What outcomes are you looking for? |
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| What are the parameters of your question? |
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Content adapted from Using research to answer practice questions (see link below) and Engaging with evidence toolkit, p. 64.
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Types of evidence
The question(s) you ask and the context will determine what type of research (study design) is needed to best answer it. Sometimes you will need to use a mixture of different types of studies to answer a question.
Understand key studies
Learn more
- Using research evidence: A practice guide - PDF (1.5 MB)See 'Section C: Horses for courses - What evidence should you use' - p.18-36.
- What is an evidence-informed approach to practice and why is it important?See the section on 'Different types of research' for a summary.
Where to start searching
To get a well rounded view of the evidence you may have to use both published and unpublished research.
| Type | What it is? |
| Published research |
Includes peer reviewed journal articles and conference papers. These can be original research articles (primary research) or review articles which summarise evidence such as systematic reviews or meta-analysis (secondary research). Use databases to find published literature. |
| Unpublished research |
Also known as grey literature. Includes a range of literature, not published by large commercial publishers such as reports, theses, guidelines, policy papers and documents produced by government bodies, organisations and research institutes. Unpublished research can also be a good source of evidence. |
Evidence synthesis and practice guidelines
Search the following places for published evidence syntheses like mapping, scoping and systematic reviews, and practice guidelines.
- Best evidence encyclopediaFind information based on evidence to support a range of programs for students. Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE), John Hopkins University.
- Campbell Collaboration Library of Systematic ReviewsProduces high quality, open and policy-relevant evidence syntheses, plain language summaries and policy briefs.
- Iris centreFind evidence based practice summaries. Peabody College,Vanderbilt University.
- What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)Find practice guidelines, intervention reports, and reviews of individual studies. US Department of Education.
- EPPI-CentreFind systematic reviews in education. Social Research Institute, University College London.
More help
Search relevant subject specific and multidisciplinary databases to get good coverage of the literature. These search tools offer sophisticated search interfaces that can help you locate quality research studies.
Depending on your question and context, you may have to search a range of subject specific databases in areas such as education, sociology, psychology, management and so on.
- APA PsycINFO (via Ovid)Provides access to international literature in psychology and related disciplines.
- ERIC: Educational Resources Information Center databaseIndexes research and technical reports in the Resources In Education Index (RIE) as well as education-related journals in the Current Index to Journals in Education. Contains material on children's literature.
- ScopusA multidisciplinary database which indexes peer reviewed journal articles. It can be a useful place to find scholarly sources.
- Sociological Abstracts (via ProQuest)Provides descriptive information for the international literature in sociology and related disciplines.
Locating grey literature can sometimes be difficult as where and how you search can vary quite a lot. Below are some key Library databases and openly available portals that may be helpful starters.
- A+ EducationAustralian-focussed indexing and full text database that provides access to journal articles on all aspects of education. Includes monographs, research reports, theses, book reviews and conference papers.
- APO (Analysis and Policy Observatory)APO is a not-for-profit, open access knowledge and evidence-based website for you to discover, share and manage public policy and practice resources. APO provides free access to a wide range of grey literature, data, journal articles and books, audio and video and online resources.
- IBISWorldFind Australian company and industry information. Includes a range of up to date reports on the education industry.
- TroveA free online resource by the National Library of Australia which lets you discover theses, research articles, books, reports, maps, AV material, historical newpaper articles and more!
More help
How to search
Work your way through the below to learn how to approach your search:
Terminology
Understanding terminology, how ideas are expressed across the literature is key to searching effectively and comprehensively for research. Draw on your own knowledge, course readings and do some basic scoping searches to familiar with how researchers are talking about issues.
| Considerations | Examples |
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| What synonyms can you search on? |
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| What related keywords may be useful? |
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| What broader keywords may be useful? |
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How do keywords vary?
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| Are there common acronyms you should use? |
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ERIC search example
Example question: What do teachers think about EIP?
Top search tips
- Always look for an advanced search screen or multifield search (see below)
- Type each different concept (idea) in a new line
- Use OR to connect synonyms or related keywords
- Use double quotations "..." to find exact phrases
- Use truncation * function to find different word endings
More help searching in databases
- Searching for Your Literature Review Guide - SearchWork your way through this page to understand databases functions, how a search screen works and how to apply limits to your search. Shows a Scopus search example.
Appraisal
it is important to critically appraisal all evidence, no matter where you source it from, to make sure it is of the highest quality. Do this informally as you read the evidence or in a formal structured way, using a checklist or critical appraisal tool to guide you.