PhD studentship: Advancing Evidence Synthesis: Developing Guidance for Reporting Evidence and Gap Maps (EGMs) and Web-based Evidence Portals

Award summary  

3-year PhD studentship. Funding covers tuition fees at the Home (UK) rate, an annual stipend of approx. £19,237, 2024/25 and a Research Training and Support Grant (£5,000 p.a.) International students are eligible to apply but required to make up the difference between home and International fees. 

Overview  

Increasingly web-based visual outputs from evidence synthesis are being produced, often located on project or organisation websites. Outputs such as EGMs enable knowledge users to tailor the evidence in different formats, such as locating evidence from specific settings or populations. These outputs can also support the production of living reviews, where updates of the evidence can be undertaken more rapidly than traditional publication processes. 

While text-based outputs are guided by reporting standards such as PRISMA, web-based visual outputs claiming to be ‘evidence-based’ or ‘robust’ lack comparable guidance. As web-based interactive dashboards and tools grow in popularity, they may become more accessible evidence resources for the public. Without clear reporting guidance, critical information such as funding sources, affiliations, methods of locating and synthesising evidence, search dates, updates, and stakeholder engagement may not be transparent. 

Evidence and Gap Maps and other web-based outputs from evidence synthesis should be rigorously produced and reported to ensure user confidence in their trustworthiness and sustainability. This project will review existing evidence outputs and describe current reporting practices. Using a Delphi approach, expert views will be elicited to design and test guidance for web-based interactive outputs. The student will explore approaches to evaluate the tool’s uptake and impact. 

Number of awards

One 

Start date

April 2025. 

Award duration

Three years 

Application Closing Date:

6th January 2025 

Sponsor

Newcastle University, Faculty of Medical Sciences 

Supervisors  

Dr Fiona Campbell  

Professor Dawn Craig  

Dr Katie Thompson  

Dr Melissa Bond  

Eligibility Criteria  

Applicants must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent in an appropriate subject with experience in evidence synthesis. An MRes or MSc is advantageous. International/EU applicants must cover the difference between Home and International fees. 

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subsection. International applicants may need an ATAS clearance certificate before obtaining their visa and studying on this programme. 

How to apply  

Register and apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal https://applyto.newcastle.ac.uk/  and ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.   

In ‘Course choice’ tab, click ‘Search Course’ put ‘Postgraduate Research’, in ‘Type of Study’, ‘Full Time’, in ‘Mode of Study’, ‘2024’ as ‘Year of Entry’. Our admissions staff will change the start date to April 2025 after you have applied, code ‘8370F’ in ‘Course Title’, blank in ‘Research Area’.   

Press ‘Search’, select ‘PhD Population Health Sciences (FT)’, and click ‘Save selection.’   

In the ‘Further Details’ section, provide a ‘Personal Statement’ stating the title of the studentship, quote reference code PH045, and explain how your interests and experience relate to the project. Enter the studentship code PH045 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field. When prompted for your research proposal, select ‘Write Proposal’ and type in the title of the research project. 

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section, upload your CV. 

Contact Details  

[email protected]  

0191 208 2259