Short Abstract

This workshop introduces Evidence Gap Maps as a clear, matrix-based way to organise evaluation findings. Participants learn to frame questions, map evidence, identify gaps, and use EGMs to support clearer understanding and evidence-informed action.

Description

Evidence and findings from evaluations on particular topics are often scattered across multiple studies, sectors, and disciplines, making it difficult for decision-makers to see the broader evidence landscape or identify key uncertainties. Evidence Gap Maps (EGMs) offer a structured, matrix-based way to organise evidence across intervention categories and outcomes. This helps users quickly see what evidence exists, where it is strong or weak, and where further investigation is needed. EGMs visually map the evidence, guiding decisions about future research priorities, highlighting underexplored areas, and showing where strong evidence or important gaps remain.

The workshop begins with an introduction to the purpose, structure, and advantages of using EGMs. Participants will learn how EGMs are constructed and how to develop an intervention–outcome matrix. The session then moves into practical, interactive activities. Working in small groups, participants will develop research questions using frameworks such as PICOS. These questions will form the basis for building a simple EGM matrix, allowing participants to see how question design influences the structure and clarity of the final map.

Case discussions will show how organisations have used EGMs to support decision-making, resource allocation, evaluation planning, and conversations about evidence needs. These examples will demonstrate how EGMs support transparent communication and help teams work with complex evidence.

A gallery walk will allow participants to give and receive peer feedback on question design and reflect on how different approaches shape the resulting EGM.

The workshop concludes with a discussion on how EGMs can be integrated into participants’ own evaluation and research contexts, including their role in planning, stakeholder engagement, and collaborative decision-making.

By the end of the workshop, participants will understand how EGMs present evidence in a structured and accessible format, gain practical experience constructing and interpreting EGMs, and be equipped to use them to identify evidence gaps and support evidence-informed action. The workshop aims to build participants’ confidence in using EGMs as a systematic and transparent method for designing research questions.