We’ve put together this guide to help you use our Evidence and Gap Map – the world’s largest resource mapping evidence on what works to keep children safe from involvement in violence.
At first glance, the Evidence and Gap Map looks like a table. On the y-axis (which is vertical), the Evidence and Gap Map lists the type of intervention a study was investigating (for example, sports activities or mentoring). On the x-axis (which is horizontal) it shows the outcome that a study was measured (for example, changes in risk-taking behaviours). Each study is categorised under at least one intervention and outcome box known as a ‘cell’. So in each cell, you can see how many studies are looking at a particular intervention and outcome combination (for example, how many studies of mental health interventions looked at the changes they made to a child’s attitudes and beliefs).
The default Evidence and Gap Map view is known as a ‘bubble map’ where the size of the circle in each cell represents how many studies have been found. For example, an empty box means there aren’t any studies looking at a specific intervention and outcome. A small circle means there might be a few studies, while large circles mean there are lots of studies.
When you click on a ‘bubble’, a text box appears. It lists the individual studies included in that particular type of intervention and outcome combination. In the text box there is a brief description of each study (similar to, but not identical to the abstract) and a link that takes you to the website containing the full study.
You can access the filters by clicking the ‘Filters’ tab in the top left-hand corner of the screen, then ticking your chosen options. You can also access ‘Filters’ when you click on a relevant column/row header on the map.
Filters help you to refine your search for different studies. You can search the studies in the Evidence and Gap Map by:
You can also search for studies by different outcomes and interventions. To do this, click the ‘View Records’ tab at the top of the screen.