Step 10: Report and Disseminate Findings

HEALER Research Toolkit

Step 10: Report on the Study and Disseminate Findings
 
What's the next step after the data has been collected, analysed and interpreted?
 
Writing Up Research
 
What do you need to consider when writing up your research? In what style will you write up research? It is important to remember to disseminate your findings outside of academia and to those who have participated or who may benefit from your research (see below.)
 
A research report is a carefully structured piece that clearly states the purpose, findings and relevance of research activity.

 

A report may be written for a range of reasons and for a variety of audiences, therefore its length, style and detail tend to vary greatly.

 

Research reports are usually produced for such groups as service users, multi-disciplinary colleagues, and fellow professionals and as a result of commissioned research.

 

The publication Presenting and Disseminating Research by Jane Schober and Andy Farrington for East Midlands RDS, contains comprehensive information on the following topics:     

 

First section: "Writing up a Research Project" includes:
 

• The research report
• The research dissertation
• Common features of research reports and dissertation

• Layout
• Specific guidelines on dissertations by literature review
• Producing a short report or executive summary from a main study

 
For those completing a thesis, Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation by S. Joseph Levine, Michigan State University, covers important aspects of academic writing. (NOTE: Please check with your own institution for specific requirements.)
 
For specific advice for health librarians on writing:
 
Fallon, Helen.  2010.  Supporting health sciences librarians to publish: the Dublin EAHIL Academic Writing Workshop. Journal of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries, 6 (1), 3–7 (Available from: http://www.eahil.net/journal/journal_2010_vol6_n1.pdf )

For more general tips on writing academic papers, we recommend the following:
 

• Effective Writing taken from a PowerPoint presentation on Writing for Publication produced by the University of Loughborough.
• Writing Academic Papers by Rob Newell, Professor of Nursing Research, the University of Bradford.
   

For advice on developing a local support network to stimulate your writing activity read:

 

• Grant MJ, Munro W, McIsaac J, Hill S (2010) Cross-Disciplinary Writers' Group Stimulates Fresh Approaches to Scholarly Communication: A Reflective Case Study Within a Higher Education Institution in the North West of England', New Review of Academic Librarianship, 16: 1, 44 — 64.  URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2010.509481

 

Disseminating Research
 
Are you writing up your research for publication? Have you chosen how and where to publish your results?
 

• A PowerPoint presentation written by Theo Raynor and Jonathan Silcock, School of Healthcare Studies, University of Leeds. This presentation is excellent and a very comprehensive guide.
• Further extracts taken from the publication Presenting and Disseminating Research by Jane Schober and Andy Farrington for East Midlands RDS, provide information in the section 'Dissemination research outcomes' on the following topics:

• Strategies for local, national and international dissemination of research:
• Publication
• Tips on getting published

 

• The Writing/Publishing Research section of the RDDirect web site also offers links to further information on aspects of submitting articles for publication in medical journals.
• Key journals to consider for health sciences librarianship are:

 

• Health Information and Libraries Journal
• Journal of the Medical Library Association, Library and Information Research
• Journal of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries.

 

• · Also consider dissemination of information via email discussion groups such as lis-medical
   

Presentation for Conferences or Seminars
 
Are you presenting your research findings to an audience? If so, what kind of audience?

• RDLearning has a list of potentially relevant conferences and seminars
• Reporting Scientific Data contains information on producing posters and making oral presentations
• Section "Dissemination research outcomes" in Presenting and Disseminating Research by Jane Schober and Andy Farrington for East Midlands RDS, provide information on the following topics:

 

• Types of presentation
• Tips on presenting at a conference
• The abstract and usual abstract guidelines

 

• For more general tips on PowerPoint presentations, we recommend Creating an Effective PowerPoint Presentation compiled by Thomas Saylor PhD, Concordia University, Minnesota.
• Key conferences include: CILIP Umbrella (every two years); CILIP HLG Conference (every two years); EAHIL Conferences; ICML (every 4 years); EBLIP (every 2 years)
   

Making Your Findings Known to Users
 
Health and social care research is conducted for the benefit of patients, users, care professionals, and the public in general. Researchers should publish and disseminate their findings outside of the academic arena.
 
There should be free access to information both on the research being conducted and on the findings of the research, once these have been subjected to appropriate scientific review through the accepted scientific and professional channels.
 
It is good practice to inform the participants of your research and other interested parties (e.g. patient support groups) of your results once the study has finished AND…
 
Results must also be made available to all those who could benefit from them (e.g. patients, care professionals, the general public).  This could be done via a newsletter or flyer or by posting information in layman’s language on websites that are accessible to the public. It is vital that you budget for this activity in your funding.