Rapid research and evaluation are now commonly used in a wide range of fields to ensure study findings are provided in a timely manner. A recent review we carried out on the use of rapid ethnographies in healthcare showed a notable increase in the use of rapid ethnographies in the last five years and their expansion beyond the social sciences (e.g. now becoming more popular in nursing and medicine) (Vindrola-Padros and Vindrola-Padros 2017). Evaluations of interventions in healthcare as well as other sectors have also relied on rapid approaches and formative research designs to ensure findings can be delivered within a timeframe most useful for informing decision-making and in the context of constrained research budgets (Vindrola-Padros et al. 2020).
Despite widespread interest in this topic, there are limited reflections on the daily challenges of carrying out rapid research and evaluations. This Research Topic seeks to address this gap by analyzing the everyday experiences of designing and implementing rapid studies in a wide range of sectors and global settings. It will include contributions from researchers based in academic and non-academic settings.
The Research Topic will seek to answer the following questions:
• What are the main challenges of designing and implementing rapid studies? How are these challenges shaped by time pressures, local contexts, resources of the team, etc.?
• Are there challenges that researchers/research teams are unable to overcome? Why?
• What are the common changes researchers make throughout rapid studies and why are these changes made?
• What are the contributions of rapid research and evaluation?
• What are some the lessons research teams have learned while designing and implementing rapid studies?
The Research Topic brings together articles that cover a wide range of rapid research and evaluation approaches (including but not limited to rapid appraisals, rapid assessments, rapid ethnographic assessments, rapid ethnographies, rapid evaluations, rapid assessment procedures) with case studies from 15 countries and researchers based in academic institutions, the healthcare sector, and non-governmental organizations.
Contributions are by invitation only.
Rapid research and evaluation are now commonly used in a wide range of fields to ensure study findings are provided in a timely manner. A recent review we carried out on the use of rapid ethnographies in healthcare showed a notable increase in the use of rapid ethnographies in the last five years and their expansion beyond the social sciences (e.g. now becoming more popular in nursing and medicine) (Vindrola-Padros and Vindrola-Padros 2017). Evaluations of interventions in healthcare as well as other sectors have also relied on rapid approaches and formative research designs to ensure findings can be delivered within a timeframe most useful for informing decision-making and in the context of constrained research budgets (Vindrola-Padros et al. 2020).
Despite widespread interest in this topic, there are limited reflections on the daily challenges of carrying out rapid research and evaluations. This Research Topic seeks to address this gap by analyzing the everyday experiences of designing and implementing rapid studies in a wide range of sectors and global settings. It will include contributions from researchers based in academic and non-academic settings.
The Research Topic will seek to answer the following questions:
• What are the main challenges of designing and implementing rapid studies? How are these challenges shaped by time pressures, local contexts, resources of the team, etc.?
• Are there challenges that researchers/research teams are unable to overcome? Why?
• What are the common changes researchers make throughout rapid studies and why are these changes made?
• What are the contributions of rapid research and evaluation?
• What are some the lessons research teams have learned while designing and implementing rapid studies?
The Research Topic brings together articles that cover a wide range of rapid research and evaluation approaches (including but not limited to rapid appraisals, rapid assessments, rapid ethnographic assessments, rapid ethnographies, rapid evaluations, rapid assessment procedures) with case studies from 15 countries and researchers based in academic institutions, the healthcare sector, and non-governmental organizations.
Contributions are by invitation only.
