Find key resources

Citizens make many decisions each and every day. Some are personal decisions for themselves or their families, while others are decisions related to their community, their country, or the world. In many instances, evidence-based resources are available to help. Here we highlight resources in four key solution areas to help citizens use evidence in everyday life.

Focus of curated resources

  • Making evidence-based choices the default or easy option
  • Making evidence available to citizens when they are making general choices
  • Helping citizens judge what others are claiming or more generally find (and receive) reliable information on a topic
  • Engaging citizens in asking questions and answering them (with new research or with existing evidence)

This curated list of resources is currently in development. We will make resources available as we identify them. We select resources based on the following criteria:

  • The resource is relevant to one of the following general areas:
    • Helping citizens judge what others are claiming or more generally find (and receive) reliable information on a topic
    • Making evidence available to citizens when they are making general choices
    • Engaging citizens in asking questions and answering them (with new research or with existing evidence)
    • Making evidence-based choices the default or easy option
  • The date of the resource is less than 5 years old
  • The resource is reliable and based on research evidence
  • The resource is not directly funded by a company trying to sell someone a product or service
  • The resource is intended for citizens
  • The resource is free of access
  • The resource is available in English

If you know of a resource that would be helpful to citizens in any of the following categories and satisfying the above criteria, then please reach out to us at evidencecommission@mcmaster.ca.

Helping citizens judge what others are claiming, or more generally find (and receive) reliable information on a topic

ExamplesTypes of decisionsResources
Tools and training for citizens to develop their critical-thinking skillsMany types of decisionsThat’s a Claim provides tools to help citizens assess the trustworthiness of claims made in 14 sectors, including agriculture, economics, education, environmental, health and more
Short documents summarizing the best evidence on different topics using everyday languageManaging my health, safety and well-being (and that of my family's)Plain-language summaries produced by the Cochrane Collaboration
Plain-language summaries produced by the Campbell Collaboration
Strategies that journalists and science communicators can use to counter misinformationManaging my health, safety and well-being (and that of my family's)World Health Organization created a ‘myth buster’ series about various topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic
Covid-19 Misinfo
iHealthFacts enables the public to quickly and easily check the reliability of a health claim
Many types of decisions
brings together independent fact-checking organizations to discuss and define the standards of independence, transparency and methodological and journalistic quality that must guide efforts to combat disinformation
fact check claims made by politicians, public institutions and journalists, as well as viral content online
Building a culture where evidence is understood, valued and used  

 

Making evidence available to citizens when they are making general choices

ExamplesTypes of decisionsResources
Trustworthy websites featuring evidence about a wide range of choicesSpending my money on products and services
Wirecutter for shopping products
Volunteering my time and donating money80,000 hours for finding high-impact careers or high-impact volunteering opportunities
GiveWell for giving to the charities that make the most of every dollar they receive
Decision aids that explain what evidence is available about different options alongside the pros and cons of each optionManaging my health, safety and well-being (and that of my family's) 

 

Engaging citizens in asking questions and answering them (with new research or with existing evidence)

ExamplesTypes of decisionsResources
Creating a website where citizens can submit their questions to organizations funding research  
Having citizens engaged in prioritizing questions from all of those received  
Encouraging citizens to become partners in a research team to answer the question  
Encouraging citizens to become partners in teams that are dedicated to summarize existing evidence on the question  

 

Making evidence-based choices the default or easy option

ExamplesTypes of decisionsResources
Adopting laws to ensure that policies, programs, services and products presented to citizens are based on the best available evidence  
Providing rewards or penalties to businesses advertising products depending on whether the products are supported by the available evidence  
Supporting big tech companies to ensure that information and products presented to citizens is evidence based  
Using “nudge” strategies to steer citizens towards evidence-based choices, but still allowing them to go look at other choices too  

 

Stay connected with the Evidence Commission to keep up-to-date with our work.

Helpful links

Key concepts from Update 2023 relevant to this priority

  • 3.0 Context for and challenges with putting evidence at the centre for everyday life PPT
  • 3.1 These are early days in understanding ‘what works’ in putting evidence at the centre for everyday life PPT

Key sections from our report relevant for engaging citizens

Other key sections that offer context: