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Training in research and evaluation skills is a frequently expressed need among health promotion practitioners. Research conducted in Scotland among health promotion specialists and their managers showed that training in research on its own would be an insufficient response. In this paper, it is argued that there is a need to develop a broader strategy which seeks to strengthen research capacity within health promotion practice settings, rather than simply offering training to improve practitioners’ research skills. This will help to improve the quality of research conducted in practice settings and contribute to building an evidence base for health promotion. A broader professional development strategy for health promotion research in Scotland is proposed which utilizes a range of learning routes and delivery mechanisms. This will be backed up by the establishment of a broad strategic research partnership which brings together practitioners, researchers and policy‐makers so as to develop a better understanding of what evaluation evidence is needed and who is contributing what.

The Internet has revolutionised information exchange. Its rapid connection of users and materials locally and globally make it an ideal health promotion medium, for both the public and professionals. However, the mechanisms through which it might contribute to health improvement are unclear. This paper provides an overview of Internet developments and presents findings from research carried out on behalf of the Health Education Board for Scotland, illustrating some of the assumptions implicit in using the Internet for health promotion. In the absence good evidence on the effects of delivering health promotion online, this paper argues that good practice requires greater responsiveness to user needs and circumstances at the planning stage, better quality assurance, more clearly defined indicators of “success” and the pathways to it, and more comprehensive evaluation of short‐ and long‐term impacts and outcomes.