Research practice resource
The Research to Practice Resource provides tools and guidelines to bridge the gap between research findings and practical applications, enhancing the implementation of evidence-based practices in public health.

There are multiple ways to approach research; this resource is aimed to give an overview of some approaches, but is not intended to be prescriptive. All modules are living documents which will be continually updated with new information. We encourage researchers and students to contribute to this process (see contact details below).

The resource includes guides, checklists and templates across a number of research skills and processes. Typically, the guides provide a background to the topic, some practical examples of how to apply the skills and links to further resources.

Responding to Reviewers’ Comments

Many researchers think of peer-review with a certain amount of dread. However, peer-review is extremely important. It not only validates the research and confirms its significance, but can often lead to important improvements in the paper. The process is imperfect, and it can be painful, but it ultimately improves research. As researchers, we should use peer-review to our advantage. This module:

  • describes the peer review process, and the possible paths that it can take
  • describes principles that you can use when you first draft your paper, to avoid receiving negative comments from peer reviewers later in the process
  • details how to respond to those comments, when you receive them
  • has a brief section describing how to handle the peer review process when it just isn’t working
  • has a real, worked example of parts of the response to a reviewer’s comments that was made by one of the authors

Quantitative data analysis plan

A data analysis plan is an important element of any research project. A data analysis plan helps you clarify your research questions and helps to create a step-by-step methodology to address them. The plan can be shared with collaborators as a platform for discussion.

Checking publication proofs

Your article has been accepted for publication, but the hard work is not quite over yet. After acceptance the journal will submit ‘proofs’ of the article and may have some further queries that need answering before the article is published. The proofs show the journal editor’s suggested final text for the article and this may include some edits to your last submission. It is important to check these proofs against what was submitted to the journal to check the accuracy of what is reported. This guide provides an overview of what needs to be checked in the publication proofs and provides a checklist for this process.

Using Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Data: Tips and pitfalls

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is an administrative dataset containing information about medicines subsidised as part of the scheme by the Australian Government. PBS data are sometimes used in research to identify medicines being dispensed in the population (or in a sample of the population). Because the dataset is not designed for research use, the data can be difficult to use. This beginner’s guide provides an overview of the PBS dataset, some tips for using it and some of the common pitfalls and strategies to avoid them.

Downloads

Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions for the development of new modules, please contact EPP Support Team

We encourage users to modify the checklists and templates to suit their purposes. If you think your modifications might be of interest to a broader audience, please feel free to contact us.