Desk-Based Research Overview

Desk-Based Research

• Desk-based research involves gathering and analyzing existing information to answer a research question. It's often called secondary research.
• This research is conducted indirectly through the internet.
• Empirical research gathers original data (e.g., interviews, focus groups).

Types of Desk-Based Research

Literature Reviews

• Literature reviews synthesize existing research on a topic, identifying patterns, gaps, and relationships
• The process involves:
  • Developing a search strategy for relevant literature, including databases, keywords, and inclusion/exclusion criteria.
  • Critically appraising the quality and relevance of the studies being reviewed, considering their methodologies, findings, and limitations.
  • Synthesizing findings into a coherent narrative or thematic analysis.

Systematic Reviews

• Systematic reviews are rigorous literature reviews aiming to answer a specific research question through comprehensive data collection and analysis.
• Key Characteristics Include:
  • Developing a protocol that outlines the review's objectives, criteria, and methods.
  • Conducting a comprehensive literature search that includes both published and unpublished studies to avoid publication bias.
  • Extracting and analyzing data from eligible studies using standardized forms. This may sometimes use meta-analysis (statistical methods for combining data from multiple studies).

Umbrella Reviews

• An umbrella review summarizes the findings of multiple existing reviews on a topic to provide an overview.
• It focuses on existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses to give a high-level view.

Realist Reviews

• Focuses on understanding mechanisms through which interventions work in specific contexts.
• Approach involves:
  • Developing and refining theories about how interventions achieve outcomes and Identifying and analyzing context-mechanism-outcome configurations to show how specific contexts affect the mechanisms that relate to specific outcomes.

Mixed Systematic Reviews

• Combines quantitative and qualitative studies to provide a comprehensive understanding.

Systematic Rapid Reviews

• Quickly summarizes existing research on a topic in a structured way.
• Follows a similar process to a systematic review but simplifies steps, like narrowing search criteria, to get results faster.
• It's useful when quick decisions are needed (e.g., in healthcare or policy-making).

Protocol Development

• Predefined objectives, criteria, and methods to minimise bias in a study.

Comprehensive Search

• Includes both published and unpublished studies to avoid publication bias.

Data Extraction and Analysis

• Use standardized forms and statistical methods for data to be applicable to meta-analysis.

Summary of Literature Reviews

• Summarizing existing research to determine patterns, gaps, and relationships.

Meta-analyses

• Synthesizing quantitative data from similar studies.

Scoping Reviews

• Determine the scope or size of research literature on a topic.

State-of-the-Art Reviews

• Evaluating current understanding of a topic for improving future work (e.g., annual reviews)

Desk-Based Research Steps - Literature Review

• Define the scope of your review by explicitly stating goals and aims.
• Locate existing reports using academic databases and libraries.
• Evaluate the credibility of the retrieved information.
• Synthesize findings and generate overall picture of a topic.

Desk-based Research Steps - Conducting a Systematic Review

• Clearly stating the research question and use a structured format (e.g., PICOs).
• Develop a review protocol outlining search strategies, inclusion/exclusion criteria and methodologies.
• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews using various databases.
• Use search terms with Boolean operators and refined search terms.
• Include gray (non-peer-reviewed) literature in the search when appropriate.
• Select studies that meet predetermined criteria and assess study quality (e.g., Cochrane Risk of Bias, Newcastle-Ottawa).
• Extract relevant data and synthesize results systematically and critically.
• Present findings in a structured report, including, but not limited to introductions, methods, results, discussions, and conclusions.
• Update the review periodically to incorporate new research and maintain relevance.

Desk-based Research Steps - Realist Review

• Define scope and research question using a framework like CIMO.
• Identify patterns across studies to understand mechanisms and outcomes related to a specific context and intervention.
• Refine theories built on findings and adapt to new data when needed.

Advantages of Realist Reviews

• Understand complexities of real-world interventions.
• Provides practical insights for policy makers and practitioners.
• Flexible and adaptable to changing findings.

Challenges of Realist Reviews

• Requires deep analytical thinking.
• Can be time-consuming.
• Subjective interpretation of data is possible.

This quiz covers key concepts and types of desk-based research, including literature reviews and systematic reviews. It highlights the methods of gathering and analyzing existing information to address research questions while differentiating between desk-based and empirical research. Test your understanding of secondary research methods and their applications.