Communicating the Value of Research: Contractor's Final Report (2009)

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NCHRP 20-78: Final Report Page 117 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS Communication Matters The importance of communicating research transcends the transportation field to other disciplines including health, environment, agriculture, education, and other social issues. Secondary research revealed a wide variety of organizations within these fields are involved in communicating the value of research. They include Government agencies, private foundations, Universities and research centers, research and high-tech companies (pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, biotechnology, etc.) throughout the world. These organizations, particularly the ones highlighted in this review, share a strong belief that communication matters. They recognize that without the communication of research to the appropriate audience, support for future funding could be jeopardized, research may not be put into practice, and the public would not benefit from its potential impacts. At the Global Forum for Health Research in Mumbai in 2005, a participant from Kenya summarized, “Health research is only useful if put into action. Getting research put into action means communicating it effectively at all levels.” Communications Is Part of the Research Process – Not an Add-on The secondary research effort resulted in the review of about twenty organizational Websites, and a number of relevant articles, publications, and other resources related to the topic of communicating research generated by these and other organizations. Nearly all of the organizations we reviewed followed a communications process very similar to the generic process outlined in this Task 5. Consistent with the shared conviction that communication matters, a common concern across the organizations and materials we reviewed was the need to effectively link researchers and research results with their intended audience(s) by strengthening communications throughout the research process  Obtain early input and involvement of the decision-and policy-makers and intended users or beneficiaries of the research target audience early in the process—through proper framing of the research to the political or institutional context. Make research matter by focusing on the social and political context and make it relevant to the audience. . In fact, they stressed that communication needs to be part of the research process, not just an add-on when the research has concluded. Communicating research includes more than disseminating research findings. Communications should link research to the target audience(s) during the design and conduct of the research to capture, involve, and retain their target audience(s). Doing this brings together a network of researchers, decision makers, and other stakeholders into the research process and subsequently builds relationships that last beyond a particular research project. Recognizing that building these relationships is not always easy, several strategies for doing this stood out:  Build networks of research or issue advocates, allies, or champions (referred to as connectors, mavens and salesman by Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point) to help circulate ideas and information and gain access to your audience.  Cultivate encounters with target audience(s) or others struggling with issues related to the research topic—making the encounters happen routinely rather than by chance or in a hostile environment. Carrying out these strategies requires upfront communications planning at the onset of the research process and carrying out the plan throughout the research effort.

NCHRP 20-78: Final Report Page 118 Taking Communications Seriously Means Building Skills and Considering Communications Professionals The importance of effective communications throughout the research process was another theme unanimously emphasized during the secondary research review. Two aspects of communication were highlighted—one is appropriate dissemination of results and the other is paying attention to the ongoing communication and dialogue throughout a research effort. Examples of doing this effectively include: distillation of research findings to the appropriate technical level of the audience, the use of plain and clear language rather than academic style, using a range of formats tailored to different audiences, using multiple channels to reach different audiences, and paying attention to timing. Enhancing the communication skills of researchers is clearly a priority of many organizations with a need to communicate the value of their research. However, building communication skills needs to be balanced with the danger of asking researchers to be all things to all people. Many of the organizations we reviewed drew on the support of intermediaries such as communications and public affairs professionals, graphic designers, and technical editors, to assist with communicating with different audiences. Taking research communications seriously means building the communications skills of researchers but also providing resources to support and enhance the communication capacity at the onset and throughout a research effort. Guidebook “Communications Matters: Communicating the Value of Transportation Research,” an NCRHP publication, is the culmination of this research project. The information in the guidebook will show transportation researchers how adopting a principle of continual communications throughout the research process can increase the likelihood of the research project accomplishing its desired goals. The guidebook is the companion document to this report.