Webwatch: Evidence Search and Summary Service from Iriss

Finding and using evidence in practice can take time, and yet, is so important to continuous learning and improvement of practice and services.

The Evidence Search and Summary Service (ESSS) is a free service that has recently been launched to help people find and use evidence from research, practice and experience to inform practice. The service is based at Iriss and led by Knowledge Managers, Lauren Smith and Rebecca Dodd. Anyone working within social services in public, private or voluntary organisations in Scotland is welcome to contact ESSS for support.

ESSS aims to communicate evidence and inspiration to the sector, create conditions for information sharing, help people make use of evidence to improve services and support, and enable culture change through filling knowledge gaps and supporting the development of skills around evidence, innovation and digital literacy. Topics covered span the breadth of social services, ranging from arts and creativity, criminal justice and disabilities to housing and environment, integration and workforce development. Lauren and Rebecca can:

• Conduct a literature search
  Search for relevant evidence from a wide range of sources including academic and practice-based publications and provide a list of suggestions for further reading.
• Produce an evidence summary
  Find relevant, high-quality evidence and summarise the main themes to give an idea of the different approaches and methods relating to the topic and need.
• Produce an evidence review
  Use the most robust forms of evidence to produce a comprehensive review of the topic. (An evidence review is more in-depth than an evidence summary).
• Provide training and development
  Support people to build their own capacity for sourcing, evaluating and sharing knowledge, through one-to-one training or group workshops.

Make an enquiry: Evidence Search and Summary Service