Criteria Definition of evaluation criteria Refs. † Capabilities of BNs 8. Structure the participatory process Constructing and using BNs structured the process by clarifying policy objectives and system boundaries, and by providing mechanisms for structuring and displaying the decision making procedure 1,2,3,4,5     9. Identify the level of knowledge or uncertainty Constructing and using BNs helped to identify the areas where there is a lack or a deficiency in information     10.Encourage communication and discussions Constructing and using BNs encouraged stakeholders to exchange information and views       11. Graphical interface The graphical visualization of BNs contributed to a better understanding of the system 6   Use of BNs 12. Specific skills Constructing and using BNs required specific skills from the user 3       13. Resources Constructing and using BNs required significant time from stakeholders 3, 5   Products of BNs 14. Useful format of the results Using BNs produced outputs in a format (probability distributions) that is useful for stakeholders 6

† 1 - Webler et al. 1995; 2 - Rowe and Frewer 2000; 3 - Rowe and Frewer 2004; 4 - Burguess and Chilvers 2006; 5 - Von Korff 2006; 6 - Lynam et al. 2007.