Government Social Research
Before any initial planning takes place it is important to establish the need for an REA. The first stage of an REA also involves clarifying who is undertaking the work, for whom and what purpose. This includes being clear about how quickly the findings are needed as this will influence the resources required, the REA question and the method used. Doing this well will mean involving the users of the REA in the project from the outset. To avoid duplication of research, you should establish whether there is already an existing or ongoing review. One way of doing this is to conduct a quick search (see Searching resources) for reviews in the subject area you are interested in, prior to starting or commissioning the REA.
REA template specification (Word, 34.5KB) - for clearly setting out each stage of the project.