Call for Methodologists: Pre-Analysis Plan Review Panel

The North Carolina Evaluation Fund awarded eight evaluation grants to state agencies in October 2022. The Fund, a joint effort of the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) and the NC Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP), supports partnerships between state agencies and researchers to address pressing program and policy questions. Selected projects will launch this winter and spring.

To promote the research integrity of funded projects, grantees must register a pre-analysis plan on the Open Science Framework before the study begins. Pre-analysis plans outline the technical details of the study design and key methodological decisions. Peer review and publication of a pre-analysis plan increases the rigor and credibility of research findings. (To learn more, see Yokum & Bowers, 2021).

OSBM is seeking individuals with expertise in research design and implementation to peer review these pre-analysis plans. The eight selected projects employ a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, aiming to measure descriptive statistics as well as estimate causal impacts.

Topics include teacher recruitment and retention; kindergarten readiness and academic achievement; juvenile recidivism; behavioral health; domestic violence; entitlement program enrollment; and workforce development. To learn more about the individual projects, see OSBM Press Release, “NC Evaluation Fund Awards $1 Million in Grants to State Agencies.”