Evidence to action needs research.

Tikki Pang wrote a very welcome editorial that discusses what evidence is needed to strengthen the linkages between evidence generation and action in the developing world.1 Dr Pang highlights several critical areas of exploration that we would like to further clarify and share our views on. First, we applaud the editorial’s broad definition of evidence, going beyond a focus on randomized controlled trials and other strictly quantitative forms of evidence. Dr Pang mentions some excellent examples of the use of types of evidence for public health action outside the confines of such traditional forms of evidence. The categorization of these different types of evidence may be useful in further exploring evidence transfer to policy in low-income settings. One such categorization is provided by Bowen and Zwi, who divide evidence that informs policy processes into five categories – research; knowledge and information; ideas and interests; politics; and economics.2 Considering each of these types of evidence when exploring the evidence-policy interface on a particular research topic, may enhance the clarity of analyses at the interface. Second, the editorial asks three vital questions regarding evidence: can it work, will it work and is it worth it? Attempting to answer each of these questions requires cognizance of the development context within which the evidence is being considered. We would like to highlight the importance of a