The importance of disseminating your research

Dissemination is considered an integral component of any research project

Research dissemination is the targeted distribution of research findings to a particular audience who can make use of them, with the aim of maximising the benefits of research.

When you undertake research, it is important to consider when and how you will disseminate the findings or outputs of your study. Some researchers disseminate early, or interim, findings, which is useful for obtaining early feedback from peers. More often, researchers disseminate the findings after they have completed the study. You and your research team should consider what works best for your research project. 

Why is dissemination important in research?

Helps other researchers or clinicians advance their work  – good-quality research adds to the existing body of literature and can have a great impact. Other researchers working in the same/similar area can use this new evidence to support their studies, research or practice, and help move the field on.

Saves other researchers from doing unnecessary work  – duplication of work can be saved if other researchers have already done a similar type of work and reported results. Publishing a negative result will also save others from doing the same/similar work and wasting resources.

Allows external validation and scrutiny of important findings  –  if you have an important finding that you decide to publish, other experts in the field, external to the research team, will have the opportunity to be informed, and to validate and scrutinise your work.

Provides a mechanism of feedback to research participants who took part in the work  –  disseminating research findings allows those who volunteered and took part in the work to see the results and to further understand how their participation had an impact on the study and its results. Identification of volunteers or revealing information about volunteers who took part is never permitted when disseminating research findings.

Is expected when applying for research funding  – for most funded studies, it is a requirement to produce a final report or publication at the end, which can then be made publicly available on the funding body’s website to illustrate the work that is being done, as well as its impact. Having already published research in the past is desirable and will likely increase your chances of being awarded a research grant, but it is not usually a requirement unless specified.

Signals that you are working in this field  –  disseminating research findings can provide some recognition for you and your team, in the form of a publication, and something to build on should you decide to continue to work in the same field. It also informs other researchers working in the field, who might then contact you to collaborate on future work.

Shares and showcases examples of good practice and innovation  – disseminating good-quality research work with other researchers and clinicians can showcase examples of good practice and drive further innovation in health and social care.

How should research be communicated?

Research dissemination is an important aspect of the research process to ensure your results are effectively communicated to different audiences in a manner that is fit-for-purpose and has high impact.

First, take a step back and think through what it is you are trying to achieve through research dissemination and how this links to your research aims and objectives.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Who is the target audience? Who needs to be reached?	Consider, for example, the following groups: • Your research participants. • Patients (e.g. those who the intervention, or treatment, is targeted at). • Healthcare professionals or healthcare providers (e.g. those who deliver the intervention or treatment). • The wider research and scientific community. • Policy or decision makers. • Other key stakeholders.
What is the main purpose or goal of the communication?	Consider the main objective of your dissemination plan and what you are trying to achieve. For example, it might be to share and showcase examples of best practice, to impact policy and practice, to raise awareness, to increase the reach of your research findings, or a combination of all the reasons specified.
What messages need to be communicated?	What are you trying to communicate to the target audience(s) (e.g. full results or early findings)? You might also be trying to communicate different things from your study to different audiences (e.g. raising awareness of new interventions or treatments to patients with specific conditions and showcasing examples of best practice to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in community).
What is the budget? What are the timescales?	It is important that you plan and budget for your research dissemination and engagement activities from the outset. If you are applying for research funding, all details (including cost) of planned outputs and deliverables, such as conference abstracts, presentations, and journal papers, will normally be expected, along with any planned dissemination or engagement activity with stakeholders. Your dissemination plan will also depend on the size and scope of your project and budget.

Types of research dissemination outputs

Effectively communicating the results from your research, audit, evaluation, service improvement and other projects is a vital step to ensure the results positively impact policy and practice.

While peer-reviewed publications are considered the gold standard, there are many other channels researchers can use to disseminate research findings, such as:

• Publications through relevant research journals or professional journals.
• Oral/poster presentations within your own organisation, or to local research/speciality groups.
• Oral/poster presentations at conferences and events.
• Public engagements, for example, through an event.
• Policy briefings.
• Blogs, vlogs and podcasts.
• Websites and social media.
• Formal research reports.

There are advantages and disadvantages to disseminating your research findings through the various channels, so ensure you assess these carefully before deciding on the most appropriate method(s).

Top tips to maximise impact

Understand how to plan your research communications and focus on where they can make the most impact.

In academia, and increasingly in other sectors, the impact of research and evaluation is actively assessed and, therefore, researchers need to be aware of what ‘impact’ means in terms of their work and how to maximise impact.

Start early

Ideally, you should start thinking about your dissemination and communication plan right from the start of your research project. Identify and engage key stakeholders from an early stage to raise awareness of your work and make sure to keep them engaged throughout.

You should also use any opportunity to build further collaborations, partnerships, and to expand your networks. Build momentum throughout the entire research cycle and try to connect with influencers who can then champion your work. It is likely that, as your research progresses, new stakeholders will emerge, and your target audience will expand.

Choose the best communication channel(s)

Once you have defined your communication objectives and target audience(s) you are ready to bring all this information together into a dissemination plan of what you intend to communicate, how, and when. Consider all the previous questions.

You should choose the right media, format, and channels based on your objectives and target audience (patients, practitioners, the general public, generalists, specialists, etc.). Think about how many people you are trying to reach and how often you would like to communicate with them to achieve maximum impact.

Adhere to guidance

Whether you intend to submit your work to present at a conference, or for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, there will be specific guidance that you will be expected to follow, so make sure you check this before you start.

Have a look at the following examples of journal and conference guidelines:

• Pharmacy research journal guidelines
• Pharmacy research conference guidelines

If you do not adhere to the guidance, you run the risk of your work being rejected before it even gets to the peer-review stage.

Develop impactful messages

Consider the message that you want to communicate. The writing style should be tailored to the format/medium (article, blog, etc.), the communication channel (journal, website, etc.) and your target audience (clinicians, patients, etc.). You will need to get to know your target audience’s needs, expectations and preferred communication style and tailor the content and language accordingly.

Developing good, impactful messages takes time. Plain English is always a good choice since it is accessible to all audiences, and you should consider using visuals to aid readability and ease understanding. Also, remember that people will only retain a very small percentage of what is communicated; keep your message(s) concise and focused on key points.

Be aware of any potential risks and sensitivities (e.g. cultural or political) and consider how your message might be perceived by different groups. Make sure you get several people to review your work once it’s ready. 

You may also need to consider intellectual property issues, so make sure you liaise with your host and funding organisations.

Principles of good dissemination for maximum impact

Authorship

It is important to be aware of best practice around authorship and the acknowledgement of contributions from colleagues.

Who should be included as an author in a research output?

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors recommends that research authorship should be based on the following criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.
• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
• Final approval of the version to be published.
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The lead researcher (who might be the principal investigator) is usually the person who also takes the lead on research dissemination for the project and is, therefore, often cited as the lead author. The lead researcher is responsible for what and how research outputs are disseminated (with input and support from the wider research team).

The authors

• The first author is usually the lead researcher, who has undertaken the actual research; the last author is usually the senior researcher who oversees the project (e.g. your research supervisor).
• Make sure that everyone who has contributed significantly to your project is listed as an author. As a rule of thumb, if that piece of work that you are presenting or publishing would not have been possible without the contribution of a specific individual, then that individual should be listed as an author. On the other hand, you have to ensure that all authors have significantly contributed to your work. Many journals will ask you to describe the exact role of each author during the project.
• If it is a poster or a paper, it is common practice to indicate who the corresponding author is. Agree within your team who this will be. If you are a student, there are supervisors who will be happy for your name to be given as the lead; however, many supervisors prefer to be the corresponding author, so make sure that everyone is happy with the final decision.

Other important considerations around authorship

• Colleagues who contributed to your work but would not be considered authors can be listed in the acknowledgements section at the end of your paper or poster.
• Declare any conflict of interest.
• Make sure you are aware of any regulations or policies that your employer has in place around publication and authorship.
• Make sure that everyone named is happy to have their name associated with your work.

General structure for research communication

Drafting is a large part of the research process – whether it is drafting a research report, an academic paper, a grant application, your dissertation or PhD thesis. Below, we have summarised some general guidance on what to include when drafting a paper or conference abstract.

Structure and headings

When disseminating your research to the wider scientific community, the typical structure (depending on the chosen mode of communication) will normally include some or all of the headings below:

Title – your title should clearly and concisely tell readers what the research is about. It should be descriptive and impactful.

Abstract – this section is usually easier to write once you have completed all the other sections described below, as it provides an outline of your study in its entirety, including your research question, chosen methods, as well as your key results and conclusions. Typically, abstracts do not exceed 250-300 words, but each journal/conference will usually specify a word limit.

Introduction – this section typically begins by presenting the research problem of interest, describing why your topic is necessary or important. It is also used to put your research in context by providing a brief summary of the background information and the current state of the field. Finally, you should use this section to identify the ‘gap’ or problem in your field and end with how your research may begin to tackle this (i.e. your research question, aims and objectives). Your research question is what you want to know the answer to, from your research findings. Your aim(s) and objectives will determine the scope and depth of your research.

Methods – this section details your study methodology and specific methods, your population of interest, sample size and sampling method, and any other details that may be key to understanding how it was done. The best sections are written in a way that would enable someone else to reproduce your research step by step and achieve directly comparable results.

Results – this section should present your findings, without commentary or interpretations. In writing this section, make sure that your results are presented in a logical and systematic order. Consider using visual display items (e.g. graphs, charts, tables) to aid readability and easier understanding.

Discussion – this section should explain the meaning of your results and present how they align with or oppose other current research in the field. It is also important to highlight any limitations as well as inconclusive results in your research. No research is perfect, and recognition of these limitations provides an ideal opportunity to raise additional future studies that may lead to further investigation of your research problem.

Conclusion – this section should act as a brief summary of your main research findings and consider their impact. It should also reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of your study as well as potential future work.

References – references should be correctly cited and follow the requested referencing system (e.g. Vancouver reference style). It is important to note that references are not usually included in the word count.

Other considerations when writing up

• Research outputs should be written in the past tense and should not exceed the word limit given.
• To ease accessibility and readability (and depending on the type of communication), each section can be further broken down into more digestible subsections.
• Always make sure you check the specific requirements or guidance (including any style guides) provided.
• Avoid the use of jargon and, if you need to use acronyms, make sure you always explain what they mean in full the first time you use them in a document.
• You will likely be asked for details of formal ethical approval, or an independent review confirming that you were exempt from ethics approval, so make sure you have those to hand.
• Proofread your work – the best way is to come back to your work with fresh eyes at least a day later, if possible. Proofread more than once. Ask a colleague or a support service to review and/or proofread your work.