Directions in Implementation Research Methods for Behavioral and Social Science

There is a growing interest, by researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, in evidence-based policy and practice. As a
result, more dollars are being invested in program evaluation in order to establish “what works,” and in some cases, funding
is specifically tied to those programs found to be effective. However, reproducing positive effects found in research requires
more than simply adopting an evidence-based program. Implementation research can provide guidance on which components of an
intervention matter most for program impacts and how implementation components can best be implemented. However, while the
body of rigorous research on effective practices continues to grow, research on implementation lags behind. To address these
issues, the Administration for Children and Families and federal partners convened a roundtable meeting entitled, Improving Implementation
Research Methods
for Behavioral
and Social
Science, in the fall of 2010. This special section of the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research includes papers from the
roundtable and highlights the role implementation science can play in shedding light on the difficult task of taking evidence-based
practices to scale.