Rapid Evidence Assessments (REA) provide high-quality evidence in a timely and cost-effective manner. They are pragmatic, and aim to be a tool for getting on top of the available research evidence on a policy issue, as comprehensively as possible, within the constraints of a given timetable.

They have grown in popularity in the last decade and increased in number across continents including in response to emergencies such as the Fukushima disaster or the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is not intended as a technical how-to guide aimed at researchers, but aims to help you as a commissioner. This guide aims to give you a feel for the entire review process, to inform your tender document, and help you ask searching questions of the review teams, to create a final review that balances rapidity with rigour. 

This guide will take you through the various types of review and acceleration strategies you can pick, while also providing top tips and potential pitfalls - such as ill-defined questions or unrealistic expectations - and indeed some of the inherent limitations within the REA process as a whole.