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REA Toolkit

How to do an REA

Synthesis of findings - stages

There are various types of synthesis, which depend on the questions they are addressing and the studies included but they share the same basic stages of synthesis outlined below. As the diagram shows, some methods of synthesis involve the refinement of the REA question and conceptual framework (shown in purple) and a re-working of the entire REA process (including, potentially, searching for additional research) before the synthesis is finalised. These iterative methods of synthesis have been developed primarily for use in systematic reviews, where timelines are longer, so their selection for use in an REA will need careful consideration to ensure that the REA delivers results within the time available.

The synthesis stage will generate the findings to answer the REA question and enable conclusions to be drawn. This is likely to be the stage that users are most interested in, particularly policy officials, and so you should ensure that the output from the synthesis is going to be in a format that meet their needs. For example, drawing out the implications for policy could be important.

Stages of synthesis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synthesis of findings - quantitative