Being a consumer of research constitutes developing the skills to assess the scientific findings that are available in the existing literature and using them to generate evidence-based practice that can be incorporated into the routine operations (Yankeeolove, Sar & Antle, 2010). A consumer of scholarly research adopts questions that guide a Client-Oriented Practice Evidence Search (COPES) to carry out exhaustive searches of existing literature by employing key terms and appropriate methodological filters. The consumer of scholarly research evaluates the rigor of the obtained literature in line with the COPES question and organizes their evidence for synthesis. As a consumer of scholarly research needs to develop and implement action plans and evaluate the adopted strategies to determine their effectiveness.
Conducting actual research differs from being a consumer of scholarly research. During the process of conducting actual research, one is required to develop a logical working model based on the outcomes and mission of the agency involved. Despite sharing the requirement to conduct a literature review, the amount of search required when doing actual research is minimal as compared to when one is a consumer of scholarly research (Yankeeolove et al., 2010). When conducting actual research one is required to develop either a qualitative or quantitative methodology to guide the collection of data. In some cases, institutional review boards and pilot testing may be involved which is not the case for consumers of scholarly research. The culmination of the process of conducting actual research is the analysis of the data obtained to extract meaningful information and suggest areas for future studies, with no need to develop an actionable plan as it happens when one consumes scholarly research.
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The knowledge about research methods is valuable as a consumer of research. Having an understanding of the research methods facilitates the search for literature as it helps the consumer of research to set the standards that articles should meet before inclusion into the review (Pearson, Barr, Kamil & Mosenthal, 2011). For example, a consumer of scholarly research needs to determine if the literature should be based on qualitative or quantitative findings depending on the COPES question that is to be addressed.
An understanding of the methods used is critical in enabling a consumer of scholarly research to put the findings into context and assess the claims presented by the researcher. Based on the methods employed in the study, there are limitations as to how far an author can go when making assumptions based on their findings (Pearson et al., 2011). In instances where the researcher goes overboard with their assumptions, the knowledge of research methods will enable the consumer of scholarly research to determine if the assertions are based on actual findings.
For a consumer of scholarly research, the knowledge about the research methods is critical as it enables them to determine whether the research findings can be replicated in a different setup. Some research findings are very contextual and cannot be replicated, and as a result, when they are used to develop strategy, the agency is not likely to obtain the desired outcome (Pearson et al., 2011). The ability of the findings to be replicated is based on the methodology adopted such as the use of reliable samples and sampling procedures while ensuring that bias is eliminated during the process (Yankeeolove et al., 2010). As a result, the consumer of scholarly research needs to be in a position to determine if the methods used in a specific article provides reliable findings before adopting it to answer the COPES question.
References
Yankeeolove, P., Sar, B., & Antle, B. (2010). From “producing” to “consuming” research: Incorporating evidence-based practice into advanced research courses in a Master of Social Work Program. Journal of Teaching in Social Work , 30 , 367-384.
Pearson, P., Barr, R., Kamil, M., & Mosenthal, P. (2011). Handbook of reading research . New York: Longman.
