Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition Purpose: In keeping with our conference theme of “global concerns and approaches,” we are especially interested in hearing about the translation of research to practice as exemplified by workplace programs, policies, practices, case experiences, and other efforts to prevent stress in today's diverse and increasingly global workplace. The purpose of the competition is to recognize outstanding evaluations of “best practices interventions” that partner researchers with industry and labor to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses, and to promote safety and health at work. Best Practices Intervention: The evaluation may be of any type of “best practices intervention” in a program, study, or other activity relevant to Occupational Health Psychology, from a simple change in work organization at a single worksite to: 1) a comprehensive re-organization of the work processes, 2) a program of OSH training, or 3) policies or regulations applied throughout a corporation, industry, state, or nation, such as an OSHA standard. Please refer to the conference topic list to see the full range of eligible topics in Occupational Health Psychology. Eligibility: All abstract submissions to Work, Stress, and Health 2009, regarding examples of best practices interventions that complete the scientific peer review process and are accepted for the meeting are eligible to enter the best practices intervention evaluation competition. Important note: Current members of the Work, Stress, and Health 2009 conference planning team may not be authors or consultants on papers considered in the competition. Award Presentation: Three finalists will be identified prior to the conference and one of the three papers will be selected as the competition winner. The three finalists will be honored during an awards presentation at the conference, and the finalists will present in their symposia or paper sessions during the conference, as assigned. All competition participants are encouraged to submit their papers to the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Submissions to JOHP are separate from this competition and will undergo the normal journal review. Evaluation Competition Criteria: Manuscripts will be scored on how comprehensively the interventions are described and the results are reported. The scoring criteria emphasize the quality of the evaluation methodology used to assess the effectiveness of the best practices interventions. The specific topic areas of the interventions are not scored. All of the following criteria will be considered in the review of papers for the competition. However, it is neither anticipated nor required that any single paper will address every criterion: I. Description of the need for the best practices intervention, including: a) the health and safety problems addressed, and b) the injury and illness consequences for workers. Important note: severity of the problem is not a scoring criterion; an intervention designed to prevent fatalities will be scored in the same fashion as a comprehensive health promotion program. II. Description of the best practices intervention in the workplace, including: a) the basic descriptive information regarding the intervention and the context in which the program is implemented, including any study objectives or hypotheses, b) the organizational level(s) of workplaces included in the best practices intervention, c) the process of development of the intervention, including: participation of workers and management and of the research/evaluation team in developing the intervention, and d) innovative approaches and noteworthy methods of addressing a problem. III. Evaluation study design and methods, i.e. the plan for implementing the best practices intervention and for the evaluation of this implementation. This section includes: a) the overall quality of the research design, including the use of comparison groups, pre- and post-testing, and strengths and weaknesses with respect to internal and external validity, b) ethical considerations, including informed consent and other aspects of a typical IRB review, c) population, sample, recruiting participants, assignment to groups, and estimates of power, d) measurements (both quantitative and qualitative), including both intervention efficacy and effectiveness measures, and e) a plan to permit process/efficacy evaluation results to modify the best practices intervention. IV. Evaluation study results and analysis, including: a) the quality and comprehensiveness of the results, including descriptive and analytic results and results addressing reliability and validity of the measures, and b) the quality of the results with respect to the overall findings and conclusions, especially the link between effectiveness measures and the overall findings. Important note: negative results, null results, and significant results may all be reported. The results will be evaluated for clarity, comprehensiveness, and degree of support for the overall findings. In short, significant results are not a prerequisite for this competition. V. Implications of the evaluation results for occupational health psychology, including: a) placing this study into the broader context of occupational health psychology, b) limitations, c) recommendations for improvements to the best practices intervention, d) recommendations for improved evaluation studies, and e) new research questions. For additional information on the development of the competition criteria and scoring details, please refer to: Scharf, T., Chapman, L., Collins, J., Limanowski, J., Heaney, C., and Goldenhar, L. (2008). Intervention effectiveness evaluation criteria: Promoting competitions and raising the bar. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. v.13, no.1, pp.1-19. http://www.apa.org/journals/ocp/. [January 2008 JOHP article]  As noted in Scharf, et al., (2008), the greatest utility for the existing criteria is that they are continually challenged and tested against emerging standards of the very best intervention evaluation practices. The competition review sheet was improved for the Intervention Evaluation contest at the National Occupational Injury Research Symposium in Pittsburgh, October, 2008, (NOIRS, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/noirs/2008/contest2008.html). The score assignments have been adjusted slightly based on the NOIRS competition reviews. The current score sheet is attached. Please note: the Best Practices Intervention Evaluation reviewers reserve the right to continue to adjust the precise criteria and relative weights on the attached score sheet up until the reviews actually commence. Please consider using the attached score sheet as a content checklist for your competition manuscript. Please do not use the attached score sheet as a template to organize and structure your manuscript. Please submit your manuscript in English: Although conference presentations will take place in both English and Spanish, the Best Practices Intervention Evaluation competition does not have the resources necessary to conduct a professional bi-lingual review with good inter-rater reliability. We apologize for any inconvenience or difficulties this may cause competition researchers/authors. Please note that while a clear and comprehensive description of the intervention evaluation methodology is requested, no points are awarded (or taken away) with respect to sentence structure, grammar, or spelling. Competition Procedures and Timeline: Electronic submissions are preferred, but not required. March 16, 2009 Submit a minimum 600 word abstract along with the proposal cover sheet and other required materials to the conference coordinator at APA. Check the box for the Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition on your cover sheet. Include one extra copy of the abstract if submitting in print form. Your abstract will remain confidential; it will be used to assign reviewers for the competition. Complete and submit the Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition Statement (below). March 16 - June 22 Complete and submit your manuscript describing the best practices intervention evaluation, in English. (Refer to the competition criteria, above, and to the attached score sheet, for guidance. Every effort will be made to provide quick feedback on abstracts that have been designated for this competition. However, please DO NOT WAIT to hear from APA to begin preparing your manuscript for this competition. (Acceptance of your abstract is required to be included in the competition; however, the timing is too close to delay preparing your manuscript until after you hear from APA.) Important Notes: The Best Practices Intervention Evaluation competition reviewers regret that it is not possible to consider manuscripts submitted in a language other than English. There is no required minimum or maximum length for manuscripts for this competition. The competition criteria attempt to capture the features of an evaluation study that are most important and desirable, without respect to the specific topic of the interventions. Extremely short submissions, e.g. less than about 10 double-spaced pages, are likely to lose points simply because they are too brief to address all the relevant criteria. Authors planning to submit manuscripts substantially longer than a typical journal article or book chapter are asked to contact the best practices intervention evaluation competition coordinator, so that adjustments can be made in the number of papers assigned to each reviewer. This competition encourages students to submit theses and dissertations describing evaluations of best practices interventions. June 22, 2009 Deadline to submit a draft of the manuscript describing the best practices intervention evaluation in English. Electronic submissions are preferred. Printed copies will also be accepted if they are postmarked no later than June 22, 2009, and are sent via (International) Express Mail, or similar service. If submitting in printed form, please include four copies of the manuscript. Send your manuscript to the conference coordinator at APA. June 22 - Sept. 30 Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition peer review (see the competition criteria, above and the attached score sheet). Manuscripts will be held in confidence. October, 2009 Notification of finalists. Finalists will be acknowledged in a special awards session during a reception at the Work, Stress, and Health 2009 conference. All competition participants will be placed in sessions appropriate to their topic areas. Detailed feedback will be provided to all competition participants. All participants are encouraged to submit their manuscripts to the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Submissions to JOHP are separate from this competition and will undergo the normal journal review. Contact Information APA Wesley Baker Conference Coordinator American Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 Phone: 202-336-6124 Fax: 202-336-6117 Email Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Julia Limanowski Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition Coordinator National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health 4676 Columbia Parkway C-24 Cincinnati, Ohio 45226 Phone: 513-533-8552 Fax: 513-533-8596 Email Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition Submission Statement (PDF) I request that the enclosed abstract and the subsequent manuscript be considered for the Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition at the Work, Stress, and Health 2009 conference. Please check all that apply: ____ The enclosed abstract along with the manuscript to be submitted by June 22, 2009, have not been previously published or presented. (Presentation at the Work, Stress, and Health 2009 conference must be the first scientific presentation.) ____ NO author of this manuscript is a member of the Work, Stress, and Health 2009 conference planning team. Signed:__________________________________ Date: ___________________