BCT Repository Guide
What Is the BCT Repository?
The ImpactMojo BCT Repository is a free, searchable collection of 200+ Behaviour Change Techniques — combining the internationally recognised BCT Taxonomy v1 (93 core techniques) with 100+ additional techniques contextualised for South Asian development practice.
If you design health programmes, WASH interventions, education campaigns, or any work that aims to change people's behaviour, this repository helps you find the right techniques backed by evidence — and use their standardised IDs in your proposals and logframes.
What Are Behaviour Change Techniques?
A Behaviour Change Technique (BCT) is a specific, replicable component of an intervention designed to change behaviour. Instead of vaguely saying "we'll raise awareness," a BCT gives you a precise technique with a definition, evidence base, and taxonomy ID.
Example: BCT 1.1 "Goal Setting (behaviour)" — the person sets a specific behavioural goal (e.g., "I will wash hands before every meal"). This is a technique you can name, measure, and replicate.
Using standardised BCTs in your programme design makes interventions more precise, evaluable, and comparable across studies.
How the Repository Is Organised
By Category
Techniques are organised by domain so you can find what's relevant to your sector:
Health
Nutrition, maternal health, disease prevention, WASH behaviours
Education
Learning habits, school attendance, teacher practices
Livelihoods
Financial behaviours, agricultural practices, market participation
WASH
Handwashing, sanitation adoption, water treatment
Gender
Gender-equitable behaviours, GBV prevention, women's agency
Governance
Civic participation, transparency, accountability behaviours
By Evidence Level
Every technique is tagged with an evidence rating:
Strong — Supported by multiple rigorous studies (RCTs, systematic reviews)
Moderate — Supported by observational studies or limited experimental evidence
Emerging — Promising but with limited formal evaluation
When designing interventions, prioritise techniques with Strong evidence. Use Emerging techniques where no Strong alternatives exist, and plan to evaluate them.
Key Features
Search and Filtering
The repository has a full-text search with fuzzy matching — type a keyword, technique name, sector, or programme type and get ranked results. You can also filter by:
Category — Health, Education, WASH, Gender, Livelihoods, Governance
Evidence level — Strong, Moderate, Emerging
Keyword — any term in the technique name or definition
Technique Cards
Each technique displays as a card showing:
Taxonomy ID (e.g., BCT 1.1) — the standardised identifier
Name — what the technique is called
Definition — precisely what the technique involves
Evidence level — colour-coded badge
Category tags — which sectors it applies to
Click any card for an expanded view with related techniques and cross-links.
Bookmarks and Export
Save techniques to a personal collection for later reference
Print individual cards for workshop handouts
Compare techniques side by side to choose between alternatives
Export to CSV for inclusion in programme documents
How Educators Can Use the BCT Repository
In Course Design
Use the repository as a reference when teaching intervention design. Have students:
Identify a behaviour they want to change
Search the repository for relevant techniques
Compare Strong vs. Emerging evidence options
Select a combination of complementary techniques
Write up their intervention using standardised BCT IDs
In Workshops
Pre-read: Assign participants to browse a specific category before the session
Activity: Give teams a case study and have them select 3–5 BCTs for their intervention design
Discussion: Compare team selections — why did different groups choose different techniques?
In Proposal Writing
Teach participants to reference BCT taxonomy IDs in proposals. Funders increasingly expect evidence-based intervention design, and citing specific BCTs (e.g., "We will use BCT 1.1 Goal Setting and BCT 2.2 Feedback on behaviour") signals rigour.
Linking to Theory of Change
BCTs map directly to the "activities" and "mechanisms" layers of a Theory of Change. Use the repository alongside the Theory of Change Lab to show how specific techniques drive specific outcomes.
Getting Started
Visit the BCT Repository at impactmojo.in/bct-repository.html
Browse by category — start with your sector (Health, Education, WASH, etc.)
Filter by evidence level — begin with Strong evidence techniques
Search by keyword — try terms like "self-monitoring," "social support," or "incentive"
Bookmark useful techniques — build a collection for your programme area
Tips
Combine complementary techniques. Effective behaviour change interventions typically use 3–7 BCTs together, not just one.
Check evidence in your context. A technique with Strong evidence globally may have limited evidence in South Asian settings — the repository flags this where relevant.
Use taxonomy IDs consistently. When writing proposals, M&E plans, or research papers, always include the BCT ID alongside the name for clarity and comparability.
Start with the familiar. If you already do "awareness campaigns," search for what BCTs those campaigns actually use — you may find you're already applying techniques like BCT 5.1 "Information about health consequences" without naming them.
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