Needs assessment
10 A needs assessment should usually precede the decision to develop a publication. The needs assessment may involve searching for existing publications on similar or related topics (either from WHO or from other publishers), searching for publications in development on similar or related topics, consulting with relevant departments in WHO, or conducting surveys of the target audience or ministries of health. The information obtained will help to frame the justification for and purpose of the publication, both of which are required for planning clearance, and to determine what language and dissemination formats are appropriate for the target audience concerned.
20 For information concerning the needs assessment requirements for guidelines, see section VIII.2.3.
Evaluation
30 Each publication, or series of publications, should be evaluated as part of the workplan or task to which it refers. In the case of WHO publications, the evaluation should include the monitoring of the number of downloads of the publication from WHO and other internet sites through which they can be accessed; for priced publications, dissemination statistics (available on request from WHO Press; see section VIII.4.1) should also be evaluated. In the case of journal articles, the evaluation should include citation statistics and the number of downloads.
