This episode accompanies Module 5 of the course, which focuses on gathering evidence from the scientific literature (academic studies) that will help us address the question we are trying to answer. This module aligns to chapter 6 of the Evidence-Based Management book.

Modules 5, 6 and 7 all focus on the scientific literature, so when you listen to their corresponding podcast episodes, the picture will hopefully become more complete.

In this episode we discuss the process of searching for academic studies; the difference between everyday / managerial terms and academic constructs; how to find the right terms to search for; the importance of obtaining studies from the right sources, most especially peer reviewed academic journals; the difference between journals and “magazines”; and the importance of documenting the process you followed to identify your evidence base.

This episode was updated in 2025 to reflect the use of AI tools such as Consensus and Google Scholar for searching academic databases.

We also explore how the peer review process and the meta-analysis help us get to the best available evidence.

Host: Karen Plum

Guests:

Eric Barends, Managing Director, Center for Evidence-Based Management
Denise Rousseau, H J Heinz University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
Barbara Janssen, Fellow of the Center for Evidence-Based Management

Find out more about the course here: https://cebma.org/resources-and-tools/course-modules/

Second Cup: Find your first question

Before Breakfast

Intro

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