Pre-Congress Workshop Systematic Evidence Evaluation in Forest Science

Lead Facilitator:
Gillian Petrokofsky, Oxford Systematic Reviews, UK;
 

SPDC has a long history of organising Training Workshops on pertinent subjects relevant to forest scientists in conjunction with large IUFRO conferences and congresses. The IUFRO World Congress 2024 in Sweden represents another ideal opportunity for selected early- and mid-career scientists to enhance essential skills for generating high-quality research results and for communicating such results to policy and practice.
This workshop module presented a framework for preparing a scientific research study plan. 
 

This Workshop introduced participants to robust and up-to-date methods and tools for framing questions of high priority and assembling relevant information to support good decision-making and forestry practice.
 

The methods are derived from best practice for systematic review, but can be adapted for any current problem that requires unbiased information. Participants worked collaboratively to explore all stages of preparing systematic reviews. Teaching examples were drawn from all themes of the IUFRO World Congress, including forests for sustainable societies, forest resilience, bioeconomy, and biodiversity. The course introduced participants to issues surrounding the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in literature reviews. Participants were encouraged to bring to the workshop particular topics of interest to them and their regions that would benefit from a scientific evidence approach. Topics included:

• Framing answerable questions to address policy and practice concerns,
• Searching the literature,
• Managing the literature and selecting appropriate evidence,
• Employing Artificial Intelligence appropriately,
• Planning a collaborative systematic review,
• Critically appraising the evidence for its validity and reducing bias,
• Presenting results in different formats for different audiences, and
• Legacy of your research, copyright/intellectual property.