Database
The RURU Database is a fully searchable library of references on research utilisation and the implementation of evidence-based policy and practice (EBPP). It draws on papers from four key sectors: health care, education, criminal justice and social care. Developed by the RURU team, the database holds references to a wide range of materials including journal articles, books, reports, conference proceedings and seminar papers. It aims to provide a broad and accessible evidence base for the research utilisation field in order to support research synthesis and the development of new knowledge in this area.
The database has a three-tier structure, comprising:
- Empirical papers – reporting findings from studies
- Conceptual papers – exploring questions of theory
- Background papers – of more general interest.
To construct the database, a wide range of literature sources have been searched, including key electronic databases, the internet, reference lists, citation indices and web sites. Specific efforts have been made to search the “grey”, or unpublished, literature, as this has proved a fruitful source for research utilisation references. Included references are English language papers dating back to 1985, and the most recent systematic searches were undertaken in 2004. Given the large amount of research use literature in the health care field, included papers from this sector are currently limited to reviews, overviews and studies of large-scale UK research use initiatives, but we are examining ways of accessing key papers excluded by this approach. More recently we have included a number of health care papers which we have found useful in developing RURU’s forthcoming publication, Using Evidence (Policy Press).
Construction of the RURU database is ongoing. Explicit inclusion criteria are used to select papers for the database. All papers are indexed and searchable across a range of categories, including author, title, date, keywords and sector. The on-line Help pages provide more details of search options.
Detailed information about the construction and content of the RURU database can be obtained via the links on the left. Those intending to search the database may find these a useful reference point.