Background: Disability research data often exist in the form of individual records located within discrete registers that may extend across sensitive political boundaries. Method: This paper discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with using linked health and administrative data for disability research, with examples from research…

The Cochrane Collaboration is an international project to locate, review, and disseminate information on available randomized controlled trials of health care interventions. Occupational therapists can use it to learn about best practices and evaluate research relevant to their clients. (SK)

This paper provides information about OERI-funded databases containing information about teachers and teaching, and offers a way of thinking about the use of these databases. It is pointed out that while the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) is committed to making its work more accessible to policy, research, and practitioner…

Describes the Refugee Data Center (RDC) (New York City), a hub for linking refugees with voluntary resettlement agencies. The RDC maintains a database on refugees as they progress toward final resettlement in the United States. At present, RDC files include refugees from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. (SLD)

Describes a web-based technology bank that provides examples of university research of interest to businesses. Addresses the use of electronic communications for dissemination, highlighting potential problems: considerable database maintenance, the volume of information and number of links, and appropriateness of links. (SK)

This volume of "Archiving Methodology" provides contractors with standards for developing project-level documentation. This volume is designed to acquaint a potential data user with the research and/or evaluative effort that generated the archived data. It serves as both an introduction to and an overview of a collection of data files by…

Discusses legal, ethical, and pragmatic issues concerning psychologists' willingness or unwillingness to share data from Federally sponsored research projects with other researchers and the public. Presents a proposal to mandate data sharing, and discusses technical and ethical costs and benefits of such a proposal. (Author/MJL)

This directed study, part of the applied research and development effort of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education, focused on the use of emerging telecommunications technology to facilitate communication among vocational education program improvement agencies. The study attempted to introduce and implement new developments in…

Reviews the research on the role, importance, and impact of the federal technical report literature, and summarizes some ambiguities and gaps in the research. Different approaches to conceptual and methodological issues are discussed, and a typology of technical reports is provided. (38 notes with references) (Author/CLB)

Evidence-based health care, in which practitioners use technology to access medical databases in solving clinical problems, is seen as a major step in improving clinical diagnosis and treatment. Role-modeling, practice, and teaching of evidence-based health care require new skills of clinical teachers in addition to traditional teaching skills.…

Intended for academics interested in small town research with an applied focus, this paper argues that high quality research aimed at data base development must occur before academics can work with practitioners in any policy forum. The paper begins by documenting the lack of research on small and rural governments and the need for a sound data…

The chief educational information unit in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the focus for dissemination of information to various agencies is the Department of Educational Information of the Scientific Research Institute of General Sciences, Academy of Pedagogical Sciences (APS). The department services the whole of the USSR by…

A problem in the building industry is the lack of coordination of research efforts and the time lag between the completion of research and the incorporation of the results in practice. A partial solution is attempted in this survey of current and past research dealing with innovation and other problems in the building industry and related…

An analysis of the IBM/NEA Mastery in Learning (MIL) school renewal system, an electronic network that involves school faculties in collegial interaction with researchers and other educators in school reform, is the purpose of this paper. Developed by IBM (International Business Machines) and NEA (National Education Association), the MIL is a…

The explicit goal of most educational information or resource centers, is to assist clients in obtaining and utilizing information to improve educational practice and aid in educational decision making. As the number of services has increased, the need to systematically assess them has become critical. Previous efforts have been limited and…