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THE 1st INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON REALIST APPROACHES TO EVALUATION AND SYNTHESIS: SUCCESSES, CHALLENGES, AND THE ROAD AHEAD October 27th - 30th 2014, University of Liverpool This is advance notice: the date for the Call for Abstracts and Registration will be announced in March 2014 OVERVIEW The newly established Centre for Advancement in Realist Evaluation and Synthesis (CARES) at the University of Liverpool is pleased to announce the 1st International Conference on Realist Approaches to Evaluation and Synthesis, to be held from October 27th - 30th 2014 in Liverpool, UK. The CARES conference will be a timely event to support networking, information sharing and training in the burgeoning areas of realist inquiry. The conference theme "Successes, Challenges and the Road Ahead" reflects the growing interest in realist approaches and the need to advance the methodology and facilitate its application across an expanded array of research areas. As the methodology gains prominence in the health and social sciences, efforts are also needed to maintain clarity about the aims and underlying principles of the approach. This is an emergent field that can be greatly advanced through dialogue, discussion, and presenting practical examples and insights! Through this call for abstracts, we invite you come to learn about realist methodology, or to share your knowledge, wisdom and experience in putting the methodology into practice. The CARES conference will take place in an inclusive learning environment where your experiences, challenges, successes and questions are equally valued. We hope to create a forum that involves multiple forms of knowledge and ways of knowing. GOALS The conference goals are: (a) To provide an energizing forum for networking and knowledge sharing amongst an international cohort of people interested in advancing realist methodology in the health and social sciences; (b) To provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to present their realist research and discuss successes and challenges; (c) To provide training on realist methodology (evaluation and synthesis) and introduce concepts in the philosophy of Realism. We hope that conference participants will have the opportunity to: (a) Deepen their understanding of how realist methodologies can address complex research questions; (b) Test and challenge ideas about the methods for and limits of realist inquiry; (c) Reflect on why and how they engage in this form of research; (d) Establish or enhance their peer group for continued learning; (e) Leave the conference energized and motivated! Justin Jagosh, Ph.D Senior Researcher Centre for Advancement in Realist Evaluation and Synthesis (CARES) Liverpool Reviews and Implementation Group University of Liverpool, United Kingdom Phone: (in Canada) 001-604-822-3814 (w) 001-778-846-4589 (m)