Table 4 How names were used to label or describe various types of documents in the sample
Content of sampled documents | Number of sampled documents with this content area (%) | Number of names used to label or describe documents within content areas | Names used to label or describe document types (times used)* |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Essays, background papers or commentary about a specific topic (draws on evidence but not prepared as a literature review on the topic) | 29 (27%) | 10 | Policy brief/briefing (8) |
Issue brief (5) | |||
Knowledge summary (5) | |||
Spotlight (5) | |||
Brief/Briefing (3) | |||
Evidence matters (2) | |||
Technical brief for policy-makers (2) | |||
Impact evaluation (1) | |||
Technical brief (1) | |||
Project briefing (1) | |||
2. Synthesis that starts with a priority policy issue in a specific jurisdiction, and then draws on a range of research evidence (prioritizing systematic reviews) to inform the problem underlying the issue, options for addressing it and implementation considerations (e.g., overview of reviews) | 20 (18%) | 5 | Policy brief (10) |
Evidence brief (6) | |||
Issue brief (5) | |||
Evidence-based policy brief (4) | |||
Evidence brief for policy (1) | |||
3. Formal literature review of what is known about a particular policy domain (draws on different types of evidence that was systematically identified, selected and appraised) | 18 (17%) | 7 | Policy brief (15) |
Briefing paper (1) | |||
Briefing/brief (3) | |||
Domain briefing (1) | |||
Enduring questions brief (1) | |||
Study findings and recommendations (1) | |||
Technical brief (1) | |||
4. Summary of a research synthesis that answers a single question (i.e., summary of a systematic review) | 18 (17%) | 7 | Commentary (5) |
SUPPORT summary/Summary (5) | |||
Systematic review (5) | |||
Evidence matters (2) | |||
Policy brief (2) | |||
Briefing (1) | |||
Briefing note (1) | |||
5. Summary or lessons learned from a particular program or policy in a specific context (including the results of M&E) | 14 (13%) | 9 | Policy brief (5) |
Legacy series (5) | |||
Briefing/brief (4) | |||
Technical brief for policy-makers (3) | |||
Research brief (2) | |||
Briefing sheet (1) | |||
Briefing paper (1) | |||
Evidence in Brief (1) | |||
Impact evaluation (1) | |||
6. Opinion pieces and organizational position statements (does not draw on research evidence systematically) | 11 (10%) | 7 | Briefing paper (5) |
Legacy series (5) | |||
Brief (4) | |||
Response (4) | |||
Policy brief (1) | |||
Evidence in brief (1) | |||
Technical brief (1) | |||
7. Integration of lessons learned from particular programs or policies in specific contexts with relevant literature | 3 (3%) | 2 | Technical brief (2) Policy brief (1) |
8. Summary of a single study (or related single studies) | 1 (1%) | 1 | Policy brief (1) |