Provide research and analysis services
Overview
This standard covers the provision of value-added services that require indepth information research, including synthesis, consolidation, analysis, evaluation and interpretation, and the presentation of results. Services may be provided to colleagues within an organisation or to external customers. The information research may require the use or a range of sources. This standard does not cover undertaking primary market research, other than that directly undertaken for organisational planning.
This standard is applicable to people in practitioner roles responsible dealing with in-depth enquiries requiring desk research using internal or external resources. It may be applicable to some operational roles where staff have indepth subject knowledge. It is also applicable to those in management roles with responsibilities for desk research services. The standard is relevant to those working in information brokerage services.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
You must be able to:
P1 identify the needs of your organisation and your customers for a research service
P2 define the scope of the research services needed
P3 develop and obtain support for the strategy, priorities, operation and organisation of the research service and the required resources
P4 develop processes for managing the research service
P5 ensure that the electronic and physical resources required are selected, evaluated and accessible
P6 implement and manage the research service
P7 ensure that staff involved in the research service are sufficiently skilled to do so
P8 monitor usage trends to plan for service development
P9 evaluate the value of the research service to the organisation
P10 establish relationships with customer and potential customers in order to understand their needs for research and to promote the value of desk research
P11 take and develop a research brief with a customer so that you are both clear on the information required, how it will be used and how it needs to be presented
P12 identify the appropriate sources, systems and tools to use
P13 establish appropriate search strategies to retrieve information from the required range of text (structured and unstructured) and data resources
P14 undertake the research and obtain the information needed
P15 evaluate the information retrieved for relevance
P16 synthesise, organise, analyse, and assess information to meet the research brief
P17 use tools for data and text mining and visualisation to support the analysis of information located through desk research
P18 develop and deliver the research output for use by the customer
P19 maintain records of sources, search techniques and strategies together with the results or your research in line with organisational procedures
P20 follow-up the enquiry to ascertain relevance, value and the need for follow-up work
P21 track and evaluate new source of information relevant to your field of research expertise
P22 share your expertise and know-how acquired doing research with your colleagues
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
You need to know and understand:
K1 the context in which in-depth desk research takes place within your organisation
K2 current best practice in desk research techniques and the tools and sources available to your organisation
K3 the value of data mining and text analysis for analysing search results
K4 trends in the provision of desk research services including outsourcing
K5 how organisations use desk research, e.g. for business and competitor intelligence
K6 how desk research services complements other services provided by your organisation and when customers are expected to do their own desk research
K7 the standard of service expected
K8 subject expertise, together with sources and tools in your field of research
K9 how to evaluate a source for relevance, quality and usefulness
K10 how to take and clarify a research brief K11 desk research techniques
K12 conditions and legal requirements that may apply to the use of the information you find – in particular copyright, data protection and confidentiality
K13 how to manage the research process methodically so that sources can be cited and work repeated if and when needed
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
1. You recognise the importance of relevant, high quality information in decision making
You strive to identify opportunities for research services to contribute to the success of your organisation and your customers
You strive to provide accurate, evidenced, well-structured and costeffective responses to a research request
You judge the effort to be directed to a specific research request in terms of the use to which the information will be put and the breadth and depth required
Skills
Glossary
Links To Other NOS
This standard has links with the NOS for Health Informatics:
HI10 - Capture, organise and disseminate information and knowledge
HI11 - Appraise information and knowledge resources
HI15 - Analyse data and information and present outputs of analysis
HI19 - Critically appraise clinical information and evidence
Developed by Skills for Health. See www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
A number of other NOS suites have standards relating to research, gathering
and evaluating information