Conducting a Desk Review

Overview

A desk review provides a chance for the research team to 1) outline existing research within a country; 2)focus on current trends; 3)assess the gaps in knowledge; and 4) examine the current environment for research and initiatives related to menstrual hygiene management (MHM). The desk review should focus on already available literature and reports in print.The desk review database provides a shared space for members of a team to access summarized information on different sources of information on MHM. Additionally,the review willform the foundation of the background section in the final report.

Researchers should review a range of documents including:

  • General MHM literature (white and grey literature)
  • Papers about the country’s culture and national context
  • Literature and reports from UN agencies, including but not limited to UNICEF, UNFPA, UNESCO
  • Department of Education policies
  • Department of Health policies
  • Reports from partner organizations/NGOs
  • Health/Science curricula

Organization

One way to organize the information from the documents is with a chart. Make sure the design chosen makes sense to you.

Citation / Population / Brief Summary/Key Points / Critique of the Article
1.
2.

Take note of the primary themes addressed in each piece of information and how they are discussed. Use the table to help visualize how each author/report addresses menstrual hygiene management and keep this in mind when forming research protocols and conducting research. There is an Excel template for the desk review under the Resources tab on Blackboard

Interviews

Consider how you may obtain information that is specific to your country or region. In addition to the document/desk review, it may be appropriate to conduct key informant interviews with people in other UNICEF areas (Child Protection, Gender, Education, Health); Ministry of Education and/or Ministry of Health officials; program officers in NGOs; and other stakeholders. When meeting with these people, inform them of the project; share project one-pagers with them and enquire after documents or information that they may have that might be useful to you. Your interview may yield information as well as provide future opportunities for partnerships. When speaking with people from NGOs, ask about past, current and future projects planned that may target adolescents, girls, youth health, or WASH issues.Enquire about what they learned from past projects and what challenges they faced. Ask if there are project reports they can share.

In addition to the organization, consider making a template for interviews conducted. Under the Resources tab on Blackboard there is a research contacts spreadsheetto keep track of contacts and the information that they have committed to sharing.

Assignment guidelines

Adapt the desk review template as needed. By December 11th, enter in the articles and reports that have been assigned for the course. In addition, your team should add at least 5 more articles/reports to the template. Submit this asDeskReview1_Countryname.

As the course progresses, each country team should add to the desk review. By January 8, your country team will submit a second draft of the desk review which should include a minimum of 15articles/reports. Submit this assignment as DeskReview2_Countryname.