The Collection: An Alcohol Research Summary
Alcohol regulation should be guided and supported by the science. NABCA has partnered with the alcohol research experts at the Alcohol Research Group (ARG) to provide its members a comprehensive overview of the latest scientific evidence on important topics related to alcohol policy. The Collection: An Alcohol Research Summary (The Collection), formerly named the Annotated Bibliography, seeks to help states 1) understand the evidence on alcohol-related harms, 2) identify effective policies to reduce the harm associated with alcohol, 3) evaluate and improve their existing alcohol regulatory systems and 4) determine where more research is needed.
Search Methodology
The Scientific Team
Categories and key topic areas were identified by ARG senior researchers, William C. Kerr, PhD, and Thomas K. Greenfield, PhD, based on their knowledge of the alcohol policy research literature and the perceived interests of NABCA members.
Peer Review
The research featured in The Collection was compiled from research published in peer reviewed journals, white books, reports, working papers and other types of documents. The peer review process is an essential element of academic research in which a journal’s editors solicit ratings and commentaries from experts in the topic area who are independent of the studies’ authors. These commentaries often result in revisions to the original study such that the final article reflects the author’s response to these and agreement by the editors that the article represents an important and valid contribution to the literature. While this is not a guarantee of accuracy and completeness, it is the generally agreed on scientific standard.
The main criteria in selecting references are as follows: (1) the reference is relevant to NABCA’s goals in translating the scientific research for its members (2) the reference falls into the selected categories, and (3) the reference was published during or after 1995 (with a few exceptions). The selection of references for inclusion in The Collection deemed relevant under each topic were based on recency, perceived importance and diversity of views. The selection of references should not be viewed as an endorsement of any article by ARG or NABCA. Given that the science continues to evolve, NABCA is committed to maintaining and updating this resource regularly.