The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is an international grant-making nongovernment organisation promoting evidence-informed development policies and programmes. We are the global leader in funding and producing high-quality evidence of what works, how, why and at what cost. We believe that better and policy-relevant evidence will make development more effective and improve people's lives. 3ie working papers These papers cover a range of content. They may focus on current issues, debates and enduring challenges facing development policymakers and practitioners and the impact evaluation and systematic review communities. Policy-relevant papers draw on relevant findings from impact evaluations and systematic reviews funded by 3ie, as well as other rigorous evidence to offer insights, new analyses, findings and recommendations. Papers focusing on methods and technical guides also draw on similar sources to help advance understanding, design and use of rigorous and appropriate evaluations and reviews. 3ie also uses this series to publish lessons learned from 3ie grant-making. About this working paper This paper, 3ie evidence gap maps: a starting point for strategic evidence production and use provides a conceptual introduction to and demonstration of the evidence gap maps that 3ie produces and their various applications. It outlines the methods for conducting evidence gap maps, but does not go into detail. 3ie will also produce separate guidance about how to create an evidence gap map in 2017. Funding for this impact evaluation was provided by 3ie's donors, which include UK Aid, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. A complete listing of 3ie's donors is on the 3ie website.