A Standardized Definition of Rapid Evidence Assessment for Environmental Applications

Webb, J. Angus; Schofield, Kate A.; Cook, Carly N.; Fisher, Jonathan R. B.; Cheng, Samantha H.; Christie, Alec; Cooke, Steven J.; Dubois, Natalie S.; Frampton, Geoff; Macura, Biljana; Nichols, Susan J.; Richards, Rob; Aicher, Rebecca J.; Mason, Sara; Anderson, Erik; Betley, Erin; Borsuk, Mark; Busch, Jonah; Carlson, Sara; Dubois, Jean‐Jacques B.; Eales, Jacqualyn; Game, Edward T.; Irvine, Robyn L.; Muir, Matthew; Olander, Lydia; Pollard, Amina; Porzecanski, Ana; Radke, Elizabeth; Randall, Nicola; Riley, Trevor; Ritchie, Stephanie; Salafsky, Nick; Sigouin, Amanda; Stevens, Kara; Ridley, Caroline E.

doi:10.1111/con4.70005

i

A Standardized Definition of Rapid Evidence Assessment for Environmental Applications

2026
By Webb, J. Angus ; Schofield, Kate A. ; Cook, Carly N. ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Conservation Letters
Personal Author:

Webb, J. Angus ; Schofield, Kate A. ; Cook, Carly N. ; Fisher, Jonathan R. B. ; Cheng, Samantha H. ; Christie, Alec ; Cooke, Steven J. ; Dubois, Natalie S. ; Frampton, Geoff ; Macura, Biljana ; Nichols, Susan J. ; Richards, Rob ; Aicher, Rebecca J. ; Mason, Sara ; Anderson, Erik ; Betley, Erin ; Borsuk, Mark ; Busch, Jonah ; Carlson, Sara ; Dubois, Jean‐Jacques B. ; Eales, Jacqualyn ; Game, Edward T. ; Irvine, Robyn L. ; Muir, Matthew ; Olander, Lydia ; Pollard, Amina ; Porzecanski, Ana ; Radke, Elizabeth ; Randall, Nicola ; Riley, Trevor ; Ritchie, Stephanie ; Salafsky, Nick ; Sigouin, Amanda ; Stevens, Kara ; Ridley, Caroline E.
NOAA Program & Office:

OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; OSS (Office of Science Support)
Description:

Evidence assessment—identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing data and findings from previous studies—is important to inform environmental decision-making but can be slow and resource intensive. Users seeking efficiency have developed multiple definitions and methods for rapid evidence assessment (REA), raising concerns about consistency and rigor. To improve consistency and confidence in REA, we convened an international group of evidence users and researchers to define REA for environmental applications. Through a consensus-driven and iterative approach, we define REA as: a structured review process that aims to maximize rigor and objectivity given assessment needs and resource constraints; is transparent about trade-offs, risks, and biases; and can integrate multiple types of evidence. Our standardized definition of REA will improve transparency and facilitate decisions about the appropriate levels of rigor required for those who commission, conduct, and use REAs for environmental decision-making.
Source:

Conservation Letters, 19(1)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1111/con4.70005
ISSN:

1755-263X ; 1755-263X
Format:

pdf
Publisher:

Wiley
Document Type:

Journal Article
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:d660b1db5e093ecdc9a9c62dfd0f943ae137f405a22583855a512fdbe474492cce90a657ef2be7c7d50004d877cf0b8c4aaa264db799c0a28563dd1bfd30a7b9
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/72374/noaa_72374_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 305.54 KB ]

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