U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Government Website

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Safely connect using HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Evidence-Based Research

Researchers examining charts and data

Keep up with the latest evidenced-based research from the federal government and government-funded entities. Academic studies and government reports are the backbone for prevention efforts nationwide. Evidence-based research is available for the general public, educators, law enforcement, health care practitioners, behavioral and mental health professionals, and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.

Each set of resources below is searchable by keyword. You can also filter the results to see the resources most relevant to different stakeholder groups (key audience) and which department/agency/office provided the resource, as well as filter by subcategory.

All the information in the Prevention Resource Finder is government-owned or sponsored.

  • Featured

    National Institutes of Health RePORTER Tool

    The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) RePORTER tool allows users to search a repository of NIH-funded research projects and access publications and patents resulting from NIH funding. By leveraging this tool, users can identify what violence prevention work is being done across the country, and the latest research that is being conducted to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. 

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    Key Audience(s):
    Health Care, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:
  • Featured

    Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Research and Publications

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) supports DHS’ targeted violence and terrorism prevention efforts by conducting social science research to understand the evolving threat landscape. S&T works closely with our federal partners, local communities, academia, civil society, law enforcement, and first responders to improve public safety through research and development, technical expertise, technology development, and research and evaluation. Recent S&T research products that look at targeted violence and terrorism include “Online interventions for reducing hate speech and cyberhate: A systematic review”, “Targeted Violence: A Review of Literature on Radicalization and Mobilization”, and “Multiagency programs with police as a partner for reducing radicalization to violence”. 

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)
    Key Audience(s):
    Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations, Law Enforcement, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:
  • Featured

    National Institute of Justice: Domestic Radicalization and Terrorism Resources

    Research on domestic radicalization and terrorism is conducted by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to support community prevention of targeted violence and terrorism. Evidence based practices are shared to increase resilience across communities and provide communities with information to develop community-wide responses.   

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
    Key Audience(s):
    Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations, Law Enforcement, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:

  • The Value of Threat Assessment Teams

    The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. NIJ aims to address the critical questions of the criminal justice field, particularly at the state and local levels. This report determines the effectiveness of threat assessment in Virginia. (November 2019)

    Categories:
    Threat Identification and Assessment Guidance, Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
    Key Audience(s):
    Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations, General Public, Health Care, K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, Law Enforcement, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:

  • Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools

    U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) report on school/campus attacks (March 2021)

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    U.S. Secret Service (USSS)
    Key Audience(s):
    General Public, K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:

  • Hot Yoga Tallahassee: A Case Study of Misogynistic Extremism

    U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) behavioral case study (March 2022)

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    U.S. Secret Service (USSS)
    Key Audience(s):
    Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations, General Public, Health Care, K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, Law Enforcement, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:

  • Mass Attacks in Public Spaces: 2016-2020

    U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) report on mass attacks in public spaces from 2016 to 2020. (January 2023)

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    U.S. Secret Service (USSS)
    Key Audience(s):
    Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations, General Public, Health Care, K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, Law Enforcement, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:

  • What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism

    NIJ-funded research projects have led to a better understanding of the processes that result in violent action, factors that increase the risk of radicalizing to violence, and how best to prevent and respond to violent extremism.

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
    Key Audience(s):
    Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations, General Public, Health Care, K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, Law Enforcement, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:

  • Assessing the Effectiveness of Programs To Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism

    Three NIJ-supported evaluation studies offer key insights and recommended practices to examine the effectiveness of initiatives to prevent and counter violent extremism.

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
    Key Audience(s):
    K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations, General Public, Health Care, Law Enforcement, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:

  • Research and Practitioner Perspectives on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremists

    Research and practitioners’ experiences provide insight into building capacity for working with violent extremists and meeting their specialized needs.

    Categories:
    Evidence-Based Research
    Dept/Org/Agency:
    Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
    Key Audience(s):
    K-12 Schools/Colleges/Universities, General Public, Health Care, Mental Health/Behavioral Health/Human Services, State/Local/Tribal/Territorial Government
    Last Updated:
IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY, CALL 9-1-1.

Do not report suspicious activity to the Department of Homeland Security. Instead, notify local law enforcement.