This presentation on the evaluation of AFAO's flagship publcation was given by HIV Australia editor Finn O’Keefe at the AFAO Members Forum - May 2015.

1. Evaluation reportEvaluation report 20142014
Finn O’KeefeFinn O’Keefe

2. HIV AustraliaHIV Australia
 profiles issues and current projects in
community HIV and research sectors
 contributes to conversations about Australia’s
HIV response, particularly HIV policy
development.

3. It’s been a busy couple of years …

4. External evaluation 2014External evaluation 2014
 Consultant Bill O’Loughlin was commissioned
by AFAO to conduct a formal review.

5. 2014 evaluation2014 evaluation

6.  editorseditors
 guest editor (Respect and Resilience)guest editor (Respect and Resilience)
 editorial advisory committee memberseditorial advisory committee members
 contributorscontributors
 subscriberssubscribers
Interviews conducted with:Interviews conducted with:

7. Areas evaluated included:Areas evaluated included:
 development process and design
 advisory structure
 utility as an educational and policy tool
 feedback from readers and contributors
 distribution and promotion.

8. Broad comments
““It is clear that HIV Australia makes a uniqueIt is clear that HIV Australia makes a unique
contribution to the HIV policy context andcontribution to the HIV policy context and
response to HIV in Australia.”response to HIV in Australia.”

9. Broad comments
 Straddles being both an authoritative journal
and a magazine
 Held in high regard among the community
HIV and broader health sector and the
research community.

10.  Democratic: community sector andDemocratic: community sector and
academic work is placed on an equalacademic work is placed on an equal
footing.footing.
Broad comments

11. Broad comments
 Congruence of views from readers, editors
and contributors
 Consistency between reader surveys and
2014 evaluation
 Strong interest from contributors. Size of
editions has gradually increased.

12. Thematic developmentThematic development

13. Thematic developmentThematic development
Recommendations:Recommendations:
HIV Australia should continue as a
monograph.
Three editions of HIV Australia should be
produced each year.

14. Editorial advisory committeeEditorial advisory committee
 provides guidance on themes of significance
 meets 1-2 times per year
 people with HIV sector expertise, includes
members of state-based and national
organisations.

15. Editorial advisory committeeEditorial advisory committee
Recommendation:
The HIV Australia Editorial Committee should
be continued in its current role and ensure that
it represents the broad and diverse Australian
community HIV response.

16. Editorial advisory committeeEditorial advisory committee
Recommendation:
The practice of using Guest Editors should be
continued when it is identified as appropriate
and necessary for the quality and effectiveness
of the edition.

17. Policy and advocacyPolicy and advocacy
 HIV Australia makes a unique contribution to
the HIV policy context
 The thematic editions educate the reader
about contextual factors that need to be taken
into consideration to inform programming and
policy.

18. Policy and advocacy
 “There are consistent and numerous
examples of the way that HIV Australia was
described as making a special contribution to
informing the Australian HIV policy context.”

19. Policy and advocacy
 Each edition “engages the reader in dialogue
and reflection and thus provides them with
the ability to be actively engaged in thinking
and then have that influence their work, be it
program or policy.”

20. Reader feedbackReader feedback

21. Reader feedbackReader feedback
 Readers describe the publication as not being
as intimidating as a journal but still having a
similar legitimacy.

22. Reader feedbackReader feedback
 Readership has good engagement and recall
of each edition
 Values receiving a printed monograph
 Achieves its purpose of addressing in depth a
range important topical issues about HIV.

23. Reader feedbackReader feedback
 Academics state that, whilst they fully
appreciate that HIV Australia is not an
academic journal, they are aware that other
academics in their field read it.

24. Contributor feedbackContributor feedback
 Evaluation states that “every person who had
written an article for HIV Australia and was
contacted for comment was glowing about
their experience of working with the HIV
Australia staff.”

25. Contributor feedbackContributor feedback
 Staff from national HIV research centres said
“they consider it an important publication to
have their work appear in.”

26. Vol 11.3 Respect and resilience
 current and emerging HIV-related issues for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities.
 Edited by James Ward and Michael Costello
 Artwork by Arone Meeks
Thematic editionsThematic editions Vol 11.3: Respect and resilienceVol 11.3: Respect and resilience

27. Vol 11.3 Respect and resilienceVol 11.3 Respect and resilience
 “The edition was very popularly received
within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander HIV, health, research and community
sectors, and this was mainly due to their
recognising that members of their community
had created, and mostly, written it.”

28. Vol 11.3 Respect and resilienceVol 11.3 Respect and resilience
 Strong focus on research and community
 Launched at ASHM 2013
 Distributed at AIDS 2014 and indigenous pre
conference
 Considered to remain relevant for some time.

29. Vol 11.3 Respect and resilienceVol 11.3 Respect and resilience
 Described as “a unique opportunity to present
critical information and analysis from a
perspective that could not have been
addressed in any other format and reached
such a wide and audience.”

30. Vol 12.2:Vol 12.2: HIV and relationshipsHIV and relationships

31.  This edition explored the theme of HIV and
relationships through research, personal and
historical accounts, and the lived experience
of people with HIV
 featured content from specialist HIV research
centres alongside community content.
Vol 11.4 HIV and relationshipsVol 11.4 HIV and relationships

32. Vol 11.4 HIV and relationshipsVol 11.4 HIV and relationships
 thematic approach gave a deeper
understanding of the topic and uses a range of
perspectives to build that understanding for the
reader.

33. Vol 11.4 HIV and relationshipsVol 11.4 HIV and relationships
 Researchers commented that the personal
accounts contained themes which compounded
the value research topics, enhancing the
readers’ experience.

34. Vol 11.4 HIV and relationshipsVol 11.4 HIV and relationships
 Extremely well received at AFAO educators’
conference.

35. Distribution and promotionDistribution and promotion
 AFAO membership and broader HIV, health
and research organisations
 libraries and online databases
 social media.

36. Distribution and promotion
 “Virtually all of the allocated AFAO staff time
is dedicated to getting the edition published
and there is limited time and resources
available then to apply towards promotion.”

37. Distribution and promotionDistribution and promotion
Recommendation:
Simple strategies should be implemented to
remind the HIV community sector that back
copies of HIV Australia are available on the
AFAO website and that they can be of value for
their work.

38. Distribution and promotionDistribution and promotion
Recommendation:
The magazine should continue to be printed in
hard copy, particularly as a way of encouraging
readership of the entire set of articles in an
edition.

39. How you can participateHow you can participate
 Contribute / read
 Share call outs
 Display at your reception area
 Share articles
 AFAO happy to forward additional copies.

40. Email usEmail us
 editor@afao.org.au