Research
The CPN-PREV research team’s mandate is to develop evidence-based best practice guidelines for the prevention of violent extremism (PVE).
Our team identifies effective models for preventing and assessing violent extremism risk while bringing forward Canadian leadership in countering the phenomenon.
CPN-PREV guidelines must be rooted in both scientific literature and expert consensus to qualify as ‘‘evidence based’’.
To support this mission, we conduct evidence-based systematic reviews on topics ranging from online radicalization, prevention and intervention programs to trajectories in and out of violent extremism and risk assessment tools.
Explore by topic
Systematic Reviews
Systematic Reviews Explained
“A systematic review attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question. It uses explicit, systematic methods that are selected with a view to minimizing bias, thus providing more reliable findings from which conclusions can be drawn and decisions made. The key characteristics of a systematic review are a :
1) clearly stated set of objectives with pre-defined eligibility criteria for studies
2) explicit, reproducible methodology
3) systematic search that attempts to identify all studies that would meet the eligibility criteria
4) assessment of the validity of the findings of the included studies, for example through the assessment of risk of bias
5) systematic presentation, and synthesis, of the characteristics and findings of the included studies.”
(The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011)For more detailed information on the steps inherent to a systematic review, consult Uman (2011).
To ensure that guidelines are consensual among PVE professionals and adapted to on-the-ground practice, CPN-PREV conducts Delphi processes.
During a Delphi Process, the recommendations emerging from systematic reviews are submitted to practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers from multiple regions and sectors for evaluation and refinement.
Only the recommendations that reach a certain level of consensus are transformed into best practice guidelines, as they benefit from both empirical validation and expert consensus.
Explore by topic
Delphi Processes
The Delphi Process Explained
“The Delphi method is a systematic way of determining expert consensus that is useful for answering questions that are not amenable to experimental and epidemiological methods. The validity of the approach is supported by ‘wisdom of crowds’ research showing that groups can make good judgements under certain conditions. In mental health research, the Delphi method has been used for making estimations where there is incomplete evidence, making predictions, determining collective values, and defining foundational concepts.” (Jorm, 2015)
For more detailed information on the steps of a Delphi Process, consult Jorm (2015).
The results of our systematic reviews and Delphi processes can be found invarious types of documents: full reports, scientific papers, summary pamphlets, summary videos and webinars. Because we believe in a “whole of society” response to violent extremism, our evidence-based best practice guidelines are directed towards audiences from multiple sectors, namely practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers.
If you want all the details, consult full reports, scientific papers, and webinars.
If you want the short and sweet of it, consult summary pamphlets and summary videos.
Please note that most of our publications are available in both French and English.
ReferencesThe Cochrane Collaboration. (2011). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions (Version 5.1.0). https://handbook-5-1.cochrane.org/
Jorm A. F. (2015). Using the Delphi expert consensus method in mental health research. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49(10), 887–897. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867415600891
Uman L. S. (2011). Systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 20(1), 57–59.