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James Thomas

@jm-thomas.bsky.social
315 followers 214 following 37 posts

Professor of Social Research & Policy Co-Director of EPPI Centre, UCL Evidence synthesis, computer science

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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Guidance for the Responsible use of AI in Evidence Synthesis (RAISE): version 4 is now online at: osf.io/fwaud With many thanks to our peer reviewers and input from the field this version is a substantial revision. The papers have been resubmitted to Research Synthesis Methods, and uploaded to osf
osf.io
OSF
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Remember - diamonds are forever!
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Helen Pearson @helenpearson.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Great to speak with Bob Wells on Undercurrent Stories about my book Beyond Belief. Love that he named the episode 'The Rest is Evidence' 🧪 and asked about HIPPOs: following the 'Highest Paid Person's Opinion' is a common non-evidence-based way of making decisions www.undercurrentstories.com
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Helen Pearson @helenpearson.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
The first hard copies of 'Beyond Belief' have arrived! I can confirm it's strange to hold an actual book after writing and re-re-writing for years. Out April 28th! Preorders really help 🙏 Why read it? Because it reminds us why #evidence matters. @princetonupress.bsky.social
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Also the use of the Responsible Handover framework that Sense About Science has created. Many thanks to @senseaboutsci.bsky.social for their work and feedback on our implementation of their tool.
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
New highlights include a detailed section on metrics in RAISE 2, and much clearer guidance about the capabilities of different tools and technologies in RAISE 3
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Guidance for the Responsible use of AI in Evidence Synthesis (RAISE) has been updated! With many thanks to all the feedback we've received and all the contributions from authors Please see OSF for the latest draft: osf.io/fwaud/overview
osf.io
OSF
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Dr Anne Littlewood @anne-infospec.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
I enjoyed it too. And agreed with it 100%.
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
If you want to be really confident (95%??), then the workload savings are smaller than if you're prepared to relax the confidence level. We looked at a good range of these algorithms in this paper, which I do think has the best title :) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Don't Stop Me Now, `Cause I'm Having a Good Time Screening: Evaluation of Stopping Methods for Safe Use of Priority Screening in Systematic Reviews
Introduction Priority screening has the potential to reduce the number of records that need to be annotated in systematic literature reviews. So-called technology-assisted reviews (TAR) use machine-...
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
I was looking at this only yesterday too. It's definitely the best of the algorithms for stopping and it's the only one that makes explicit the decision that you have to make: how confident do you need to be that the prediction from the stopping algorithm is correct? (1/2)
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Happy to say that we've just updated the RAISE guidance for responsible use of AI in evidence synthesis. Many thanks to very many authors who worked really hard on this update! You can read it in full on osf: osf.io/fwaud/
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Collaboration for Environmental Evidence (CEE) @envevidence.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
CEE is excited to see the recent launch of METIUS (Mobilising Evidence Through AI and User-Informed Synthesis). METIUS will use cutting-edge AI to give decision-makers stronger, more timely evidence to tackle urgent social and environmental challenges. 👇 More below #EvidenceSynthesis #AI #SciPol
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Kathryn Oliver @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Is research really worth it? Come and hear what I think about why we do what we do. www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...
lshtm.ac.uk
Is research really worth it? with Professor Kathryn Oliver | LSHTM
Research is something we spend a lot of money and time on — as individuals, organisations, and states. But is it worth it? Do we get bang for our buck? Who really benefits? And does research actually
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Which agents stuff are you finding problematic? We’re just taking a look at agents in a project (I like the way that Ai2 is trying to lift the lid a bit with PaperFinder)
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UCL Social Research Institute @sriucl.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
A very significant day for us as our new birth cohort study is announced, the first for quarter of a century. Big congratulations to colleagues in our @clscohorts.bsky.social for all their hard work in getting this off the ground!
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The Campbell Collaboration @campbellreviews.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
We've extended the deadline for Campbell Award nominations to Sept 12th! These annual awards celebrate researchers who have made significant contributions to evidence synthesis. Learn about eligibility criteria and how to nominate a candidate here: www.campbellcollaboration.org/get-involved...
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
About all these out of office replies telling me to resend emails after a given date My view is that I've sent the email and it's up to the recipient from then on. It's not reasonable to expect me to keep track of everyone's holiday dates and resend emails accordingly Happy holidays! :)
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Really useful, nuanced work from Ai2
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Collaboration for Environmental Evidence (CEE) @envevidence.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
@ellaflem.bsky.social‬ describes how we all have a role to play in developing and using responsible AI in #Evidence synthesis. Excited to see how the work of the Joint AI methods group evolves! #ESMARConf2025 buff.ly/2fmgpAr
youtube.com
ESMARConf2025: Presentation - Introducing RAISE... - Ella Flemyng
Full Title: Introducing RAISE (Responsible AI use in evidence SynthEsis)Presenter: Ella FlemyngAbstract:This presentation will introduce the RAISE recommenda...
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Odd: the RAISE guidance for responsible use of AI in evidence synthesis had become a private project I don't think any of us asked for it to be private - maybe it was an OSF quirk. It's now public again. Sorry if you tried to access the site when it wasn't available! osf.io/fwaud/
osf.io
Responsible AI in Evidence Synthesis (RAISE): guidance and recommendations
The RAISE guidance is currently written in three documents. The first document, ‘RAISE 1’, provides tailored recommendations for eight of the distinct roles in the evidence synthesis ecosystem: eviden...
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
I don't know what to do with a paper like this. I'd love to dig into the detail and understand what they did, but there's nothing I can work with - it's completely opaque, and I can't verify anything it says. In that sense, is it even doing the job of what a scientific paper is supposed to do??
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Wolfgang Viechtbauer @wviechtb.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Just a reminder that #ESMARConf2025 is starting tomorrow! This is a free online conference about evidence synthesis and meta-analysis using #Rstats. Further details can be found here: esmarconf.org/2025/
esmarconf.org
2025 - ESMARConf
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Ella Flemyng @ellaflem.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
‼️HOT OFF THE PRESS‼️ ⭐Updated Responsible AI use in Evidence Synthesis (RAISE) 3-paper collection on OSF: osf.io/fwaud/files/... ⭐ Now includes: 1️⃣Recommendations for practice for the main roles in the ecosystem 2️⃣ Guidance on building & evaluating AI tools 3️⃣Guidance on selecting & using AI tools
osf.io
OSF
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Transforming Evidence @transformevidence.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Bridging disciplinary silos with an open methods resource. 🚀 Sallie Barnes, @annetteboaz.bsky.social & @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social introduce the #URE Methods Repository, re-launching summer 2025. transforming-evidence.org/blog/bridgin...
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
How ‘correct’ should #evidencesynthesis be? How does this change if we add #AI? Help inform new tool dev and best practice guidance! forms.office.com/e/ZwdicYQpjv Open until 2 Jul, ~35 mins. Part of @wellcometrust.bsky.social funded DESTinY @campbellreviews.bsky.social @ellaflem.bsky.social
forms.office.com
Microsoft Forms
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Just published - updated guidance and recommendations for the responsible use of AI in evidence synthesis (RAISE): osf.io/fwaud/ We're doing a webinar on this in about an hour! training.cochrane.org/recommendati...
osf.io
Responsible AI in Evidence Synthesis (RAISE): guidance and recommendations
The RAISE guidance is currently written in three documents. The first document, ‘RAISE 1’, provides tailored recommendations for eight of the distinct roles in the evidence synthesis ecosystem: eviden...
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Cochrane is now hosting a Crowd task to identify literature on climate and health (for Wellcome-funded DESTINY tinyurl.com/54wack7p) If you'd like to help: 1. Head to Cochrane Crowd crowd.cochrane.org 2. Login or create an account 3. Click "Task" on the dashboard 4. Select "Climate Quest – Part 1”
crowd.cochrane.org
Cochrane Crowd
Become a Cochrane citizen scientist. Anyone can join our collaborative volunteer effort to help categorise and summarise healthcare evidence so that we can make better healthcare decisions.
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What Works Climate Solutions @whatworksclimate.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Join Us for the First DEST Hackathon on Living Evidence Synthesis — co-organized by the International Collaboration for the Automation of Systematic Reviews (ICASR) and the DESTINY consortium funded by the @wellcometrust.bsky.social 🔗 Learn more and sign up: shorturl.at/g6xc4
linkedin.com
2025-07-10 | DEST Hackathon (Potsdam, Germany) | What Works Climate Solutions
🌍 Join Us for the First DEST Hackathon on Living Evidence Synthesis! 🌐 📍 Location: Telegrafenberg campus, PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam  📅 Date: July 10–11, 2025 We’...
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
ICASR and DESTINY are holding a meeting in July! If you're interested in automation in evidence synthesis then do take a look - in person and online options available :) www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
linkedin.com
Sign Up | LinkedIn
500 million+ members | Manage your professional identity. Build and engage with your professional network. Access knowledge, insights and opportunities.
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Dylan Kneale @dylankneale.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Happy Friday! If you're interested in #embeddedresearcher posts in local government, take a look at our briefings to help commissioning/designing embedded researcher posts: eppi.ioe.ac.uk/CMS/Portals/.... More resources also on the @eppicentre.bsky.social website here: eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default....
eppi.ioe.ac.uk
What are embedded researchers and what influence do they have in public health settings?
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Because of course peer reviewed articles are never flawed 😉
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The People's Review @thepeoplesreview.ie · 22/04/2025
🚀 THE PEOPLE'S REVIEW IS OPEN NOW 🚀 We are excited to launch Stage 1 of #ThePeoplesReview ✅Open to people worldwide ✅Everything takes place online ✅Make a difference in health research ✅Learn about systematic reviews Join now ➡️ buff.ly/WAnKUYa
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EPPI Centre @eppicentre.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
📣 Just published in Campbell Systematic Reviews, an Evidence and Gap Map of interventions that create or enhance support from friends, family, neighbours or colleagues for victim‐survivors of domestic violence and abuse: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Interventions for Improving Informal Social Support for Victim‐Survivors of Domestic Violence and Abuse: An Evidence and Gap Map
Background Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) is a significant global problem that warrants a robust, multi-sectoral response. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted that informal and social networks play...
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Gareth Hollands @gjhollands.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
🔊 New in Social Science & Medicine - 'Do nudges need a regulatory push? Comparing the effectiveness and implementation of exemplar nudge (size-based) and non-nudge (price-based) dietary interventions' Available here (£0): www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Summary 🧵 follows 👇 #BehSci #Nudge
sciencedirect.com
Do nudges need a regulatory push? Comparing the effectiveness and implementation of exemplar nudge (size-based) and non-nudge (price-based) dietary interventions
Changing behaviour across populations is key to improving population health and achieving net zero by 2050, including changing diets. We examine the e…
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Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges @evidencecomm.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Our Update 2025 report is now available and Evidence Commission co-lead @lavisjn.bsky.social shared some key reflections youtu.be/Mm-55r1v4BE
youtu.be
Global Evidence Commission Update 2025
YouTube video by mcmasterhealthforum
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Ella Flemyng @ellaflem.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
🤖 We've launched a new joint AI Methods Group 🤖 Cochrane, The Campbell Collaboration, JBI & Collaboration for Environmental Evidence have joined forces to spearhead adoption across these four leading evidence synthesis organizations www.cochrane.org/news/new-ai-...
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
The NIH NIEHS Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal seems to be gone. Does anyone know whether this is just planned downtime, or...?
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Malcolm Macleod @maclomaclee.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
1/n For "Safe and Responsible Use of AI" (Working Group 3), we are interested in all you have to say (!), but specifically ... 1. What important considerations for the Safe and Responsible use of AI Tools do you think we have omitted?
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
The first consultation for the Evidence Synthesis Infrastructure Collaborative is now live. If you're interested in the future shape of global evidence synthesis do take a look and have your say! evidencesynthesis.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/...
evidencesynthesis.atlassian.net
Evidence Synthesis Infrastructure Collaborative - Evidence Synthesis Infrastructure Collaborative
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
This is a nice thread from @sergiograziosi.bsky.social where he talks about some of the internal discussions we've had where we wrestle with how to develop, evaluate, and deploy new 'AI' tools in a responsible way
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
That’s a good one today!
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
🙄
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Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) @behaviourresuk.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Are you interested in learning how AI can be used to improve behavioural research? 📈 There is time to register for BR-UK’s webinar tomorrow at 1:30pm BST with speakers @jannahastings.bsky.social, @susanmichie.bsky.social and @robertjwest.bsky.social. Sign up here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
A blue and grey slide with the text 'Artificial Intelligence in Behavioural Research. Dr Janna Hastings Universities of St. Gallen and Zurich. Professor Susan Michie, University College London and Professor Robert West, University College London' What you'll learn: What the difference is between 'Analytical AI' and 'Generative AI.' Strengths and weaknesses of existing AI tools. How Generative AI can be used in behavioural science to generate evidence-based ideas for behaviour change interventions.
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ijmarshall.bsky.social @ijmarshall.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
📣 🌍 We're hiring for 2 Machine Learning researchers to join SOLACE-AI @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social , funded by @wellcometrust.bsky.social . This is your chance to develop cutting-edge AI to directly impact global health responses to climate emergencies. jobs.ac.uk/job/DLM377
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jtripney.bsky.social @jtripney.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Interested in evidence-informed policy and practice and looking to study MSc covering methods for systematic reviews of both qualitative and quantitative data? Visit shorturl.at/i13KU Applications are still open! #systematic_reviews @eppicentre.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social @sriucl.bsky.social
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Joerg Meerpohl @meerpohl.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Take aways from Cochrane Germany’s Methods Forum on Use of Artificial Intelligence for Evidence Synthesis. ebm.bmj.com/content/earl...
ebm.bmj.com
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Looking forward to hosting you all! :)
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Gareth Hollands @gjhollands.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
If you want to help advance living evidence synthesis for climate and health then consider applying for these two postdoc posts with @jm-thomas.bsky.social in a wide-ranging international collaboration. The @eppicentre.bsky.social is a great, stimulating and supportive place to work 🛟
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James Thomas @jm-thomas.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
✨Research positions for the new Wellcome-Trust DESTINY project in automating evidence synthesis! (destiny-evidence.github.io/website/) 🌍✨ 🔬Two at EPPI-Centre, UCL: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/... ... AND ...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) @behaviourresuk.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
👀 It’s just one week until BR-UK’s January webinar! We are excited to have Dr Janna Hastings, Professor Susan Michie & Professor Robert West discuss Using Artificial Intelligence to improve Behavioural Research. Register now to watch on Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
A blue and grey slide with the text 'Artificial Intelligence in Behavioural Research. Dr Janna Hastings Universities of St. Gallen and Zurich. Professor Susan Michie, University College London and Professor Robert West, University College London' What you'll learn: What the difference is between 'Analytical AI' and 'Generative AI.' Strengths and weaknesses of existing AI tools. How Generative AI can be used in behavioural science to generate evidence-based ideas for behaviour change interventions.
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