New Short Course - Systematic Approaches to Searching for Evidence - Wednesday 1st July 2020

Mark Clowes

We have a new and exciting course we'd like to share with you -  Systematic Approaches to Searching for Evidence

Overview: This highly interactive one-day course will cover the key principles of identifying published and unpublished evidence in a systematic, transparent way.

We will look at turning a research idea into a viable, structured search; scoping; choosing sources; developing effective strategies and documenting your searches, so they can be reproduced.

The course will draw on ScHARR’s 25 years of experience at the cutting edge of evidence synthesis, in addition to highlighting the latest available search tools and emerging techniques from the relevant method literature.

Who will benefit from this course? Anyone with an interest in conducting or supporting systematic reviews or similar evidence synthesis projects, especially:

• Early career researchers
• Postgraduate students
• Librarians and Information Specialists

Early bird booking for this course will close 1st May 2020

Standard booking will close 17th June 2020

Link to further course information:

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/scharr/shortcourseunit/searching_for_evidence

Short Course - Mixed-method ApproacheS To Evidence Reviews In Europe (MASTERIE) - 2 day Course: Tuesday, 30th June - Wednesday, 1st July

Short Course - Mixed-method ApproacheS To Evidence Reviews In Europe (MASTERIE) - 2 day Course: Tuesday, 30th June - Wednesday, 1st July

Halifax Hall

Background

With increasing interest in complex social and public health interventions, attention within the systematic review community is shifting beyond “what works” to exploring “what works for whom under what circumstances”. Such questions require the integration of both qualitative and quantitative data within research projects and PhD theses. Integration can be achieved at several points in the systematic review process; for example, through the methodology itself (e.g. realist syntheses and critical interpretive syntheses), through inclusion of mixed methods studies, and through integrating separate reviews. Integration can take place when focusing the questions, when conducting searching and quality assessment and, above all, in the synthesis and presentation of findings. This course will examine practical examples of integration at all these levels and stages. The Programme Faculty will begin by taking participants through the mixed method review process (Day One) before examining specific methods and mechanisms for integrating quantitative and qualitative data (Day Two). The emphasis will be on opening up a toolbox of possible approaches rather than focusing on a single, popularised method. The course leader, Dr Andrew Booth, has recently contributed to Cochrane and WHO guidance on mixed methods reviews and synthesis while Fiona Campbell has wide-ranging experience across methods and paradigms.

Who will benefit from this course?

No formal experience is required, working knowledge of standard systematic review methods and/or quantitative or qualitative synthesis methods will be an advantage but not essential.

• Quantitative or Qualitative Researchers who want to learn how to synthesise qualitative research
• Systematic Reviewers who want to learn how to integrate quantitative and qualitative data
• PhD Students in topic areas that explore complex social or health interventions
• New researchers who want an overview of evidence synthesis/systematic review alternatives and choices
• Quantitative and Qualitative systematic reviewers who want to update and extend their skills and knowledge

Learning outcomes

By the end of this programme participants will be able to:

• Describe the main approaches to integrating quantitative and qualitative data within evidence synthesis in terms of their strengths and weaknesses
• Rehearse the stages of the systematic review process at which integration might occur
• Articulate different mechanisms by which quantitative and qualitative data might be synthesised
• Describe the requirements for presenting and disseminating mixed method synthesis data

Course Materials

Course Materials will be provided via a Delegate Course Website approximately  week prior to the course start date. Hard copies of exercises will be provided throughout the course as necessary. Hard copies of PowerPoint presentations will not be provided, but these can be printed by delegates before the start of the course via the Delegate Course Website.

The course will consist of a mixture of presentations, group work, discussions and individual exercises.

Participants are asked to provide their own laptop for the duration of the course.

Course Faculty

Members of the Cochrane Qualitative Research Methods Group and Experienced ScHARR Staff.

Dr Andrew Booth, Reader in Evidence Based Information Practice, ScHARR, University of Sheffield and Course Leader of this and our ESQUIRE short course.

Fiona Campbell, Research Fellow, ScHARR, University of Sheffield.

Dates

2 day course: Tuesday, 30th June - Wednesday, 1st July 2020

Times

Day 1 - Starts at 9:30am with Registration and refreshments, with a prompt course start at 10:00am.  It is scheduled to close for the day at approximately 5pm.  A course evening dinner for all delegates and staff will take place at approximately 7pm (there is no additional fee for this).

Day 2 - Starts at 9am and is scheduled to close for the day at 4pm.

Fees

£575.00 - Early Bird Rate for bookings received on or before 11pm on Thursday, 30th April 2020.

£675.00 - Standard Rate for bookings received on or before 11pm on Tuesday, 16th June 2020.

Bookings will automatically close 11pm on Tuesday, 16th June 2020.

Booking and Payment

This course is now live on our Online Store, and we are currently taking bookings.

All of our short course bookings are initially processed through our Online Store. Payment in full is required at the time of placing your booking (Credit/Debit Card or PayPal is accepted) or via Invoice (purchase order required). 

If your employer is paying your fees and they would prefer to be invoiced, please ensure you select the Invoice Option and have your Purchase Order details, before making your booking. Bookings are NOT confirmed until receipt of the Purchase Order is received at scharr-scu@sheffield.ac.uk.

If you have any queries relating to fees and payment, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Accommodation and Meals

The course fee includes lunch and refreshments throughout this 2 day course, plus a Course Evening Dinner that takes place on the first evening. 

No accommodation is included.  We have a preferential rate of £70 per room/night at the host venue Halifax Hall for all of our delegates, details of how to book this are provided in your automated confirmation email. 

Alternatively, we have our new Jonas Hotel, situated next to Halifax Hall, with a preferential rate of £50 per room/night.  For further details please contact Karen Holden at scharr-scu@sheffield.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)114 222 2968.

If you have any particular dietary or access requirements then please contact the Short Course Unit with your requirements at the time of booking.

Venue

Halifax Hall Hotel and Conference Centre,

Endcliffe Vale Road,

Sheffield,

S10 3ER.

Website of the month - Ask for Evidence

This month's website of the month is Ask for Evidence http://askforevidence.org/index

According to their website, Ask for Evidence is a public campaign that helps people request for themselves the evidence behind news stories, marketing claims and policies.

We hear daily claims about what is good for our health, bad for the environment, how to improve education, cut crime, treat disease or improve agriculture. Some are based on reliable evidence and scientific rigour. Many are not.

Ask for Evidence isn’t about leading an ‘evidence-based life’; it is about holding powerful figures to account and not having the wool pulled over our eyes on important issues. It is making sure that a discussion of the evidence is happening when it really matters. That might be when a public figure or authority makes a claim or decision on our behalf; or when public money or our health or safety is at stake.

Ask for Evidence is supported by hundreds of public figures, organisations and thousands of supporters such as Mumsnet, NHS Behind the Headlines and the Royal Statistical Society. The campaign has received core funding from The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and this website was built thanks to support from the Wellcome Trust.

http://askforevidence.org/index

Ask for Evidence was launched by Sense about Science in 2011. Sense about Science is a charity that helps people to make sense of science and evidence and promote use of evidence in public life. This takes us from responding to outlandish diet claims by celebrities to helping parents understand vaccines, from working with people with chronic diseases to beat misleading ‘cure’ claims on the Internet to pressing for sound use of statistics in media reporting.

ScHARR Short 3 Day Course - Evidence Synthesis of Qualitative Research in Europe (ESQUIRE)

Evidence Synthesis of Qualitative Research in Europe (ESQUIRE)

3 Day Course: Tuesday, 10th - Thursday, 12th September 2019

Course Overview

The course will follow the systematic review process as it applies, and is adapted to, qualitative evidence synthesis. The Programme Faculty will take participants through the stages of defining and exploring scope, conducting the literature searches, quality assessing studies for inclusion, synthesising data and writing up and presenting the product of the synthesis. Participants will be provided with practical experience of key stages in the review process.

Who will benefit from this course?

No formal experience is required, working knowledge of standard systematic review methods or a background in qualitative research methods will be an advantage, but not essential.

• Qualitative Researchers who want to learn how to synthesise qualitative research
• Systematic Reviewers who want to learn how to translate synthesis methods to qualitative data
• PhD Students in topic areas that require substantive review of qualitative research
• New researchers who want to develop evidence synthesis/systematic review
• Qualitative systematic reviewers who want to update and extend their skills and knowledge

Course Materials

The course will consist of a mixture of presentations, group work, discussions and individual exercises.

Course Materials will be provided via a Delegate Course Website approximately 2 weeks prior to the course start date. Hard copies of exercises will be provided throughout the course. Hard copies of powerpoint presentations will not be provided, but these can be printed by delegates before the start of the course via the Delegate Course Website.

Participants are asked to provide their own laptop for the duration of the course, please contact us if you are unable to do so.

Course Faculty

Members of the Cochrane Qualitative Research Methods Group and Experienced ScHARR Staff.

Dr Andrew Booth, Reader in Evidence Based Information Practice and Director of Information, ScHARR, University of Sheffield and Course Leader of this popular course.

Dr Megan Wainwright, is a member of the core international CERQual team.

Fiona Campbell, Research Fellow, ScHARR, University of Sheffield.

Helen Buckley-Woods, Information Specialist, ScHARR, University of Sheffield.

Dr Katie Sworn, Research Associate, ScHARR, University of Sheffield.

Dates

3 day course: Tuesday, 10th - Thursday, 12th September 2019

Times

Day 1 - Starts at 10:00am with Registration and refreshments, with a prompt course start at 10:30am.  It is scheduled to close for the day at approximately 4pm. 

A course evening dinner for all delegates and staff will take place at approximately 7pm (there is no additional fee for this).

Day 2 - Starts at 9am and is scheduled to close for the day at 5pm.

Day 3 - Starts at 9am and is scheduled to close at 3pm.

Fees

£750 Early Bird Fee - For confirmed bookings received on or before 11pm on Monday, 10th June 2019.

£850 Standard Fee - For confirmed bookings received on or before Wednesday, 28th August 2019 or when the course reaches full capacity (which is often reached before the closing date, so early booking is recommended for this course.

We also offer a 20% discount for group bookings of 4 or more people on the same course. Please contact Karen Holden at scharr-scu@sheffield.ac.uk to book. NB: This discount cannot be applied at checkout or after a booking has taken place.  ALL group bookings must be made directly with Karen Holden at scharr-scu@sheffield.ac.uk.

This course is very popular and generally reaches full capacity before the closing date, so early booking is advised.

Booking and Payment

This course is now live on our Online Store, and we are currently taking bookings.

All of our short course bookings are initially processed through our Online Store. Payment in full/purchase order is required at the time of booking (Credit/Debit Card or PayPal is accepted). 

If your employer is paying your fees and they would prefer to be invoiced, please ensure you select this option when booking and that have your Purchase Order details before making your booking. Bookings are NOT confirmed until receipt of the Purchase Order is received at scharr-scu@sheffield.ac.uk.

Bookings will automatically close at 11pm on Wednesday, 28th August 2019. 

This course is very popular and generally reaches full capacity before the closing date, so early booking is advised.

If you have any queries relating to fees and payment, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Halifax Hall 

Accommodation and Meals

The course fee includes lunch and refreshments throughout this 3 day course, plus a Course Evening Dinner that takes place on the first evening of Tuesday, 10th September 2019.

No accommodation is included. We have a preferential rate of £70 per room/night at the host venue Halifax Hall for all of our delegates, details of how to book this are provided in your automated confirmation email.

Alternatively, we have our new Jonas Hotel, situated next to Halifax Hall, with a preferential rate of £50 per room/night.

For further details please contact Karen Holden at scharr-scu@sheffield.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)114 222 2968.

If you have any particular dietary or access requirements then please contact the Short Course Unit with your requirements at the time of booking.

Venue

Halifax Hall Hotel and Conference Centre,

Endcliffe Vale Road,

Sheffield.

S10 3ER.

www.halifaxhall.co.uk

Contact

For further information please do not hesitate to contact the Short Course Unit via email at scharr-scu@sheffield.ac.uk

or call +44 (0)114 222 2968.

New Short Course - Mixed-method ApproacheS To Evidence Reviews In Europe (MASTERIE)

With increasing interest in complex social and public health interventions, attention within the systematic review community is shifting beyond “what works” to exploring “what works for whom under what circumstances”. Such questions require the integration of both qualitative and quantitative data within research projects and PhD theses. Integration can be achieved at several points in the systematic review process; for example, through the methodology itself (e.g. realist syntheses and critical interpretive syntheses), through inclusion of mixed methods studies, and through integrating separate reviews. Integration can take place when focusing the questions, when conducting searching and quality assessment and, above all, in the synthesis and presentation of findings. 

Workshop venue - Halifax Hall, Sheffield

This course will examine practical examples of integration at all these levels and stages. The Programme Faculty will begin by taking participants through the mixed method review process (Day One) before examining specific methods and mechanisms for integrating quantitative and qualitative data (Day Two). The emphasis will be on opening up a toolbox of possible approaches rather than focusing on a single, popularised method. The course leader, Dr Andrew Booth, has recently contributed to Cochrane and WHO guidance on mixed methods reviews and synthesis while Fiona Campbell has wide-ranging experience across methods and paradigms.

Booking and more details here

Who will benefit from this course?

• Quantitative or Qualitative Researchers who want to learn how to synthesise qualitative research

• Systematic Reviewers who want to learn how to integrate quantitative and qualitative data

• PhD Students in topic areas that explore complex social or health interventions

• New researchers who want an overview of evidence synthesis/systematic review alternatives and choices

• Quantitative and Qualitative systematic reviewers who want to update and extend their skills and knowledge

Learning outcomes

• Describe the main approaches to integrating quantitative and qualitative data within evidence synthesis in terms of their strengths and weaknesses

• Rehearse the stages of the systematic review process at which integration might occur

• Articulate different mechanisms by which quantitative and qualitative data might be synthesised

• Describe the requirements for presenting and disseminating mixed method synthesis data

2 day course: Tuesday, 3rd - Wednesday, 4th July 2018

Day 1 - Starts at 9:30am with Registration and refreshments, with a prompt course start at 10:00am.  It is scheduled to close for the day at approximately 5pm.  A course evening dinner for all delegates and staff will take place at approximately 7pm (there is no additional fee for this).

Day 2 - Starts at 9am and is scheduled to close for the day at 4pm.

£575 Early Bird Fee - For confirmed bookings received on or before midnight, Wednesday, 2nd May 2018

£675 Standard Fee - For confirmed bookings received on or after Thursday, 3rd May 2018.

Bookings will automatically close at midnight on Wednesday, 20th June 2018 or when the course reaches full capacity (whichever is soonest). 

No formal experience is required, working knowledge of standard systematic review methods and/or quantitative or qualitative synthesis methods will be an advantage but not essential.

By the end of this programme participants will be able to:

Course materials will be provided via a Course Website approximately 2 weeks prior to the course start date, plus a copy on USB during registration.  A hard copy of any handouts/exercises will be provided throughout the course as necessary.

The course will consist of a mixture of presentations, group work, discussions and individual exercises.

Participants are asked to provide their own laptop for the duration of the course.

Members of the Cochrane Qualitative Research Methods Group and Experienced ScHARR Staff.

Dr Andrew Booth, Reader in Evidence Based Information Practice and Director of Information, ScHARR, University of Sheffield and Course Leader of this and our ESQUIRE short course.

Fiona Campbell, Research Fellow, ScHARR, University of Sheffield.

New methods paper on evidence synthesis with limited studies

Dr. Shijie (Kate) Ren 

Dr. Shijie (Kate) Ren has published a paper with colleagues from the School of Mathematics and Statistics and HEDS proposing an elicitation framework to capture external evidence about heterogeneity for use in evidence synthesis with limited studies.

Their proposed framework allows uncertainty to be represented by a genuine prior distribution, using empirical evidence and experts’ beliefs, and can avoid making misleading inferences. The method is flexible to what judgments an expert is able to provide. They have also provided R code for implementing their method.

© Sage Journals

Dr. Ren, who specialises in the application of Bayesian methods in health care evaluation, argues that, “Analysts often default to use a fixed effect model in evidence synthesis because there are too few studies to conduct a random effect model. The choice of which model to use should depend on the objective of the analysis and knowledge of the included studies.”

In the case where heterogeneity is expected, the proposed elicitation framework can overcome the problem of imprecise estimates of the heterogeneity parameter in the absence of sufficient sample data.

The article, published in Medical Decision Making, is available open-access and can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0272989X18759488.

Short Course - How to Quickly Synthesise Research

Information Resources Group (part of our HEDS Group) are once again running our "Instant Evidence Based Medicine" course.

"How to quickly synthesise research" will take place in Sheffield on Tuesday 13th February 2018.

This course will introduce participants to the concept of research synthesis and explore simple ways to rapidly bring evidence together to inform decision making. During the day we will undertake a search for high quality evidence to answer a clinical question. We will then look at ways of identifying the findings/key themes from the research and present various methods/tools to quickly bring the results together to form a useful overview of the evidence quickly and effectively.

Location: Halifax Hall

If you are new to research synthesis or need to expand your skill set to include rapid synthesis then this course will be ideal. It will offer an introduction to synthesis for those who do not need to undertake full scale systematic reviews, but would like to be able to bring research findings together simply and quickly to form a clear picture.

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/scharr/shortcourseunit/synthesise-research

Link to book via our Online Store:
http://onlineshop.shef.ac.uk/conferences-events/faculty-of-medicine-dentistry-and-health/school-of-health-and-related-research-scharr

If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the ScHARR Short Course Unit at scharr-scu@sheffield.ac.uk

The Identification and Review of Evidence to Inform Cost Effectiveness Models

HEDS are running a one day course, The Identification and Review of Evidence to Inform Cost Effectiveness Models on Tuesday 6th February 2018

Course information
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/scharr/shortcourseunit/cost_effectiveness_models2018

Course Overview

The course will enable participants to develop an understanding of the methods available for the identification and review of evidence to inform cost effectiveness models. The course will consist of three sessions:
1. Practical conceptual modelling methods
2. Identification of evidence to inform models
3. Reviewing of evidence to inform models

Halifax Hall

During the sessions there will be presentations to illustrate the main issues, structured small group discussions working through a set of related questions and practical exercises. The course will be delivered by researchers experienced in health technology assessment in the UK including a cost-effectiveness modeller, information specialist and systematic reviewer.

Health Services & Delivery Research Programme Evidence Synthesis Centre

ScHARR - Regent Court

Earlier in 2017 HEDS, in collaboration with ScHARR’s Public Health Section, successfully won a £500,000 three-year competitive tender from the National Institute for Health Research to renew its Health Services & Delivery Research Programme Evidence Synthesis Centre (ESC). 

The Sheffield ESC is one of three, formerly two, centres (the others being in Exeter and York) that offer a rapid response reviews service on Programme priorities to inform policy and research. Typically, a small team, comprised of reviewers and information specialists, works within a rapid review timetable proposing an appropriate methodology and review type for each question. Currently, our team is conducting a mapping and realist review looking at implementation of successful interventions to reduce preventable hospital admissions.

HEDS-based ESC core staff include Anna Cantrell and Dr Louise Preston with Dr Andrew Booth, who is co-Director of the centre with Professor Elizabeth Goyder of the Public Health Section. Meanwhile the team’s report distilling methodological and organisational lessons learned from the first three years of the Sheffield and York ESCs is now available:  
Chambers, D., Booth, A., Rodgers, M. et al. (2017) NIHR HS&DR evidence synthesis centres: achievements and learning from the first three year programme, 2014–2017. Report. NIHR Journals Library, Southampton. http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/120637/3/HS%26DR%2013.05.12%20%2813.182.12%29%20Web%20Report-1-White%20Rose.pdf

Meanwhile Andrew Booth, as senior review methodologist, joined a School of Nursing-led team to successfully secure a five year contract to form a Royal College of Nursing/University of Sheffield strategic alliance for research.   

The Identification and Review of Evidence to Inform Cost Effectiveness Models - One day course - 6th February 2018

© Halifax Hall

HEDS in conjunction with ScHARR's Short Course Unit are running a one day course In Sheffield on 6h February 2018. Dr Suzy Paisley, Professor Eva Kaltenthaler and Dr Paul Tappenden will facilitate the workshop held at the superb Halifax Hall Hotel and Conference Centre. 

The course will enable participants to develop an understanding of the methods available for the identification and review of evidence to inform cost effectiveness models. The course will consist of three sessions:

1. Practical conceptual modelling methods

2. Identification of evidence to inform models

3. Reviewing of evidence to inform models


During the sessions there will be presentations to illustrate the main issues, structured small group discussions working through a set of related questions and practical exercises. The course will be delivered by researchers experienced in health technology assessment in the UK including a cost-effectiveness modeller, information specialist and systematic reviewer.

To book a place click here