Evidence-based practice (EBP) is defined by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as "a process in which the practitioner combines well-researched interventions with clinical experience, ethics, client preferences, and culture to guide and inform the delivery of treatments and services."
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews publishes high-quality reviews on health care interventions.
A journal facilitated by the Campbell Collaboration that publishes a variety of evidence syntheses (systematic reviews, gap maps, etc.) on policy and social science interventions.
CEE Database of Evidence Reviews (CEEDER)
Produced by the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence, this database indexes and assesses the reliability of evidence syntheses reviews published on environmental topics.
CEE also produces the journal Environmental Evidence, which publishes systematic reviews, systematic maps, and rapid reviews on environmental topics.
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) Evidence Hub
3ie publishes systematic reviews and supplemental gap maps on a variety of global development topics, focusing on low- and middle-income countries.
SAMHSA Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center
"This new Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center aims to provide communities, clinicians, policy-makers and others in the field with the information and tools they need to incorporate evidence-based practices into their communities or clinical settings. The Resource Center contains a collection of scientifically-based resources for a broad range of audiences, including Treatment Improvement Protocols, toolkits, resource guides, clinical practice guidelines, and other science-based resources." (website)
What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)
"The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is an investment of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education that was established in 2002. The work of the WWC is managed by a team of staff at IES and conducted under a set of contracts held by several leading firms with expertise in education, research methodology, and the dissemination of education research, including Abt Associates, American Institutes for Research, Development Services Group, Inc., and Mathematica." (website)
Database Searches
Some journals specialize in publishing evidence synthesis reviews, while others publish these reviews along with empirical research studies. You can use a relevant academic database to locate these publications. Some databases provide the ability to limit a search by publication type, which can include reviews as an option.
Additionally, most evidence synthesis publication titles include the type of review that was conducted. You can add evidence synthesis keywords onto your existing search with a phrase such as: AND ("systematic review" OR "scoping review" OR "meta analysis" OR "meta-analysis" OR "rapid review" OR "research synthesis" OR "evidence synthesis")
The following websites are registries for evidence synthesis protocols. These indicate that a review is ongoing.
The journal Campbell Systematic Reviews produces a list of review topics that have been accepted but not published yet. Reviews focus on interventions in social science fields.
Collaboration for Environmental Evidence (CEE)
CEE produces a registry of ongoing reviews related to environmental topics. Authors can also publish protocols in the CEE journal Environmental Evidence.
Protocols for Cochrane reviews are published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews under the tab Cochrane Protocols.
Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Systematic Review Register
A registry of ongoing systematic and scoping reviews on healthcare topics.
Open Science Framework (OSF) Registry
OSF Registry lists all types of evidence synthesis review protocols, with no subject or discipline restrictions.
PROSPERO is a protocol registry for systematic reviews, rapid reviews, and umbrella reviews studying health-related interventions.
The PICO Model is commonly used as a framework to create a comprehensive question for evidence-based practice.
| P | Population or Problem |
| I | Intervention |
| C | Comparison |
| O | Outcome |
Additional pieces in the question can include Timeframe or Setting (PICOT, PICOS, or PICOTS). You may also want to target a specific Type of Study in a search, which can be included in your question framework.
Many other research question frameworks exist. Depending on your topic, another framework may be more helpful than PICO.
For detailed information on how to use PICO and other question frameworks, view the Health Sciences Library's research guide below.