October Message from the Directors: Changing the way we communicate research findings
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An initial goal of the CTSA program was to transform the way research is conducted: to break down disciplinary silos and to encourage creative strategies to foster collaborations, with the hope of closing the gaps between research discovery and dissemination. To achieve this goal, we also need to change the way research results are communicated, going beyond scholarly journals and professional meetings as a strategy to speed up the discovery-dissemination process and enhancing translation of scientific knowledge to policy and practice applications.
In the traditional research model, communications usually come into play after the research has been published in peer-reviewed journals. But the role of communications can be expanded earlier in the research process to enhance knowledge translation to key audiences, including to patients, providers, policy makers, advocates, and the general public. Our hope is to engage key stakeholders early in the research design and feedback process.
One of the goals of the CCTS is to raise awareness among all these audiences about the latest scientific findings and setting the stage for increased adoption and adherence. These communication efforts help to disseminate an evidence-based for the adoption of health-related practices and policies; they help to inform scientists from diverse fields of the latest research findings, thus promoting potential translational efforts; and they provide a vehicle for researchers to give back to the public and to those who participate in research.
Communications are more effective when they are selective. Not all research merits broad release. Applied research that has immediate application to people’s everyday lives and relatively clear and concise findings is especially important to translate to broader audiences. Think about the research projects and researchers you work with – and discuss with them these everyday implications of the work – start to encourage even communications and translation across our team members!
Remember, too, that there are limitations of communications. Communications are delivered in relatively small and simple sound bites, which sometimes presents a mismatch with the complexities and nuances of science. However, attention is still necessary to influence policy and practice and to advance science, even if the media report on the research findings is overly simplified. We can improve the accuracy by providing clear and concise information and doing the abbreviations ourselves.
The public has a right to expect that the nation’s investment in health research will be translated into better health. As a first step in making this translation happen, researchers have a responsibility to frame their research findings within the context of public debate or knowledge of a context and then disseminate their research to the public and to audiences who can act on those findings. More and more, researchers are learning to engage in dual dissemination – writing articles for research journals and then separate articles to reach nonacademic audiences.
As we move increasingly toward breaking down disciplinary barriers and silos, we also need to consider breaking down the barriers between the academic research world and communications with the general public. Broad communications efforts are especially needed for the complex social and health problems we face today. The CCTS will be working on increasing the communications skills and capacity of our research teams in the years ahead.