This publication "is designed as a tool to help organizations, researchers, evaluators, community groups, educators, and public health officials define and gather systematic data on bullying to better inform research and prevention efforts. It is intended to improve the consistency and comparability of data collected on bullying. Current efforts to characterize bullying vary considerably. The lack of a uniform definition hinders our ability to understand the true magnitude, scope, and impact of bullying and track trends over time. Consistent terminology with
standardized definitions is necessary to improve public health surveillance of bullying and inform efforts to address bullying." (from the Introduction). Note: this document has been developed for the use in the United States. Follow the More research link to the CDC's Focus on Bullying webpages which provides links to other research on this topic.