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Method C

Oficina C has laid out a working plan for gathering scientific-technical evidence on different topics of interest to the Deputies. This is the Method C.

Scientific production on complex topics is abundant, multidisciplinary, and constantly evolving. We follow the Method C to contextualise and summarise the available scientific and technological evidence and to produce the Reports C.

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"Salt and life". Edition: FOTCIENCIA19. Author: Jesús Alberto Pérez Romero.

1. Selection of topics

How and who selects the topics for the Reports C?

In collaboration with the Advisory Committee, Oficina C proposes a series of topics of interest to the Congress of Deputies. From this preselection, the Bureau of the Congress chooses the final ones to produce the Reports C.

Method C establishes a series of criteria to evaluate and assess the different themes of interest and presents them systematically to the Bureau of the Congress. The goal is to identify topics supported by abundant scientific evidence and that have a potential impact on Spain in the medium and long term.

You can find more information on the Topics C page. 

2. Team

How many people work on each Report C?

For each Report C, there is one Scientific and Technological Evidence Officer leading the topic and one coordinator giving support.

All the Scientific and Technological Evidence Officers work together in cross-cutting and methodology sharing processes. They also participate as internal reviewers for all Reports C.

You can read more about the members of Oficina C on the Team C page. 

3. Drafting of Reports C

What are the steps involved in the production of the Reports C?

Reports C are the final outcome of Method C. They are short scientific evidence reports on the topics selected by the Bureau of the Congress.

They contextualise and summarise the available scientific evidence and identify areas of consensus, dissent, uncertainties, and ongoing debates.

Their production process consists of:

  • A literature review phase. It is an exhaustive and interdisciplinary review that helps identify the available scientific evidence on a specific area, determine its interactions within the Spanish, European and international environments, and define the report's structure. Reports C include references to all the bibliography consulted.
  • An interview phase. It consists of dozens of interviews with researchers, scientists, and experts on the given topic. This phase helps determine the report's final scope, focus, and trends. Reports C include acknowledgements to scientists, researchers, and experts consulted.

If you are a researcher, scientist or expert and think you could contribute with your expertise to production of Reports C, please fill in following form.

4. Review

How is the review process?

Reports C are reviewed at different levels before their publication:

  • Oficina C conducts an internal review to analyse the reports´ content (relevance, comprehensiveness, impartiality), format (style, language, structure) and references. Experts in science journalism also collaborate in this review.
  • Scientists, researchers, and the experts consulted during the interview phase conduct two rounds of full or partial review of the Reports C.

Oficina C has editorial responsibility for the content of all Reports C.

5. Communication and dissemination

What communication channels are used?

Reports C are translated into English and published (both in English and Spanish) on the EPTA network platform.

In addition, Reports C are disseminated and communicated to the general public using different engaging audiovisual formats to facilitate their accesibility.

All content produced by Oficina C is licensed under Creative Commons 4.0 . This means that all materials can be copied, distributed, publicly communicated, and transformed, also for commercial use, as long as Oficina C is cited as the source.

Collaborate

If you believe that your scientific and technical expertise can contribute to drafting a Report C, you can contact us by filling out the following form. In it, you need to share your experience and the scientific evidence report in which you wish to participate. This way, we can review it to ensure that it aligns with the scope and content of our reports.

If necessary, we will contact you to interview for approximately 1 hour. Additionally, you will be able to participate in reviewing the report, and your participation will be credited.

Fill in the form

Feedback from interviewees

In the Reports C we interviewed 244 scientists and experts. At the end of our collaboration, we kindly asked them to complete a short survey to find out more about their experience and their expectations from Oficina C. 144of them responded to the questionnaire.

  • 92.4% consider the implementation of Oficina CC to be appropriate or very appropriate
  • 97.0% consider the working method implemented by Oficina C to be adequate or very adequate
  • 98.5% consider the interview process with the Oficina C to be satisfactory or very satisfactory
  • 98.5% consider the Report Cformat to be adequate or very adequate 
  • 100% would collaborate again and would recommend collaboration with Oficina C to their colleagues
  • 86.6% have been involved in scientific advisory activities to regional or national public sector, or international organisations.
  • 66.7% were not aware of any science and technology office to regional, national or supranational parliaments before they collaborated with Office C.
  • 74.2% were not aware of the existence of Oficina C before collaborating with us.
  • 34.9% believe that the impact of their collaboration will be important or very important in their professional career.
  • 57.6% consider that the Reports C will have an important or very important impact on public policy formulation.

"I would like the report to include a bit more technical detail, but I understand the audience it is aimed at and that therefore it should avoid getting into overly technical explanations".

"The initiative is very relevant because the knowledge gathered from experts should help immensely to carry out more coherent actions at the national level".

"It would be interesting to be updated regularly on the impact and relevance of the reports in the Congress of Deputies".