Academic research makes a crucial contribution to alleviating global poverty, particularly in the areas of health, agriculture, growth, environment and governance. However, the research community can be closed or difficult to access for some stakeholders. This means important research findings do not always find their way into policy.
Researchers do want to make a difference through their research, and are happy to communicate their findings to others. However, they face a number of cultural and professional constraints. The most commonly cited is the preference for academic monitoring bodies to prefer research to be communicated and disseminated through peer review journals.
Funding bodies are increasingly asking researchers to communicate their findings through a wider range of formats. Effective communication of research broadens its impact, and ensures audiences and policy networks are targeted appropriately. This makes research more likely to be put into practice, and in turn keeps funders happy knowing funding has been put into use.
The following list of materials provides a good introduction to the importance of communicating research, and how best to do it.
