Research Dissemination

• Dissemination of research involves communicating research results to

potential audiences, that may include:
• Scientific Community (to expand knowledge and
understanding)
• Policy Makers (to make evidence-informed policy decisions)
• Practitioners (to bring changes in programs and improve their
practice)
• General Public (to raise awareness and enhance democratic
deliberations)
• Effective dissemination help increase the use of research findings.

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Principles of Effective Dissemination
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Context
• Utilize Opportunities
• Format
• Timing

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Dissemination Tools
• Effective dissemination requires developing a well-thought plan to use
various dissemination tools.
• Each tool has different strengths and weaknesses in reaching
audiences and therefore by using more than one, the tools complement
one another to produce a strong dissemination plan.
• Increasing the number of ways that research findings reach key
audiences increases the chances of uptake and action.

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Dissemination Tools
• Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
• Policy Brief
• Conference Presentation (e.g. CIES, AERA, BAICE, AEA etc.)
• Workshop Presentation
• Press release (including social media)
• Infographic
• …

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Peer-Reviewed Papers
• The key audience of peer-reviewed journal articles are scholars and
researchers, even though it can be used by policy makers and
practitioners too.
• Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is a peak achievement, as it
signals acceptance of the work within the community and a visible
contribution to the field.
• Peer-review papers has the same general structure as research reports,
but the details depend on each specific journal.
• Peer-review papers are usually shorter and more concise than research
reports between 4,000 to 10,000 words.

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Tips for Publishing in Journals
• Pick the right journal
• Always follow the correct submissions procedures
• Don’t try to write and edit at the same time
• A common reason for rejections is lack of context
• Don’t bury your argument like a needle in a haystack
• Don’t over-state your methodology
• Ask a colleague to check your work
• Revise and resubmit: don’t give up after getting through all the major
hurdles

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Press Release
• The media (including social media) is an important tool to disseminate
research findings to general public.
• They can popularize findings, press governments for change, and
highlight inequities or programs that are not working.
• Press release can be either written statements or multimedia
communication, and can be broadcasted through newspapers, radio
and TV, internet social media, etc.
• Press release should have a strong, informative, and catchy title to get
the readers/viewers attention.
• Press release should be brief, interesting, and easy to understand.

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Policy Brief
• Policy briefs are short documents that present the findings and
recommendations of a research project to a non-specialized audience.
• It is a stand-alone document, focused on a single topic and no more
than 2–4 pages (~1500 words).
• Although there is much variation even at this end of the scale, the
most common elements of policy briefs are:
– title of the document; executive summary; context and importance
of the problem; critique of policy option(s); policy
recommendations; appendices and sources consulted or
recommended.

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Key Features of Effective Policy Briefs
1. Focused on achieving the intended goal of convincing the target
audience.
2. Professional (i.e. not academic). The typical audience for a policy
brief is not interested in the research/analysis procedures conducted
to generate the evidence, but rather the writer’s perspective on the
problem and potential solutions based on the new evidence.
3. Evidence-based. The policy brief is a communication tool. The
audiences not only expect a rational argument but will only be
convinced by arguments supported by evidence that the problem
exists and the consequences of (or not) adopting a particular course
of action.
4. Limited to a particular problem or specific aspect of a given problem.

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Key Features of Effective Policy Briefs (Cont.)
5. Concise. do not exceed a maximum of 6–8 pages because typical
audiences often do not have the time or inclination to read an in-
depth, 20-page argument on a policy problem.
6. Understandable. Use clear and simple language (i.e. not jargon and
concepts of an academic discipline).
7. Accessible to the intended target audience.
8. Promotional. i.e. eye catching: use of color, logos, photographs,
slogans and illustrative quotes.
9. Practical and feasible. Must provide arguments based on what is
actually happening in practice and propose recommendations that are
realistic and feasible to the target audience.

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Infographic
Visual Presentation of Research Findings

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‫چالش های استفاده از نتایج تحقیقات در پالیسی گزاری‬
1. Research competes with many other factors in the policymaking process
2. Research isn’t valued as an information input [General climate for
research use]
3. Research isn’t relevant [Production]
4. Research isn’t easy to use [Translation]
a. Research isn’t communicated effectively [Push]
b. Research isn’t available when policymakers need it and in a form
that they can use [Facilitating pull]
c. Policymakers lack mechanisms to prompt them to use research in
policymaking [Pull]
d. Policymakers lack fora where policy challenges can be discussed
with key stakeholders [Exchange]

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References
Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (4th ed.). New York: Oxford university press.
Creswell, J. W. (2014), Research Design; Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method
Approaches, SAGE, USA. Pp. 143,79-81.
Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Hacker, D. & Sommers, N. (2010). The Bedford Handbook. 8 th ed. USA: Bedford.
http://doxzoo.com/dissertation-writing-guide, Accessed 9/4/ 2018.
https://www.business school.ed.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/54820/How-to-Write-a-
Good-Postgraduate-Research-Proposal.pdf
Monippally, M. M. & Pawar, B. S. (2010). Academic Writing: A Guide for Management
Students and Researchers. USA: Sage Publications Inc.
Rossman. Gretchen & Rallis (2017) An Introduction to Qualitative Research, SAGE,
California. Pp. 104-109.
Silverman, David (2005), Doing Qualitative Research, SAGE. Pp 140-145)

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