OrientationObservationIn-depth interviewsDocument analysis and semiologyConversation and discourse analysisSecondary Data
SurveysExperimentsEthicsResearch outcomes
Conclusion
What then is the best way to reach the appropriate audience; those who would be most interested or benefit from it? The determinants of the dissemination strategy are as follows:
Obligations (e.g., funder's requirements or expectations of outputs; employer's (university) expectations of research outputs; agreements with research subjects about publication).
The nature of the audience.
Available resources for dissemination.
Reputation (of researcher and employing institution).
Ethical concerns (see publication ethics in Section 10.8, notably arrangements for anonymity, confidentiality and privacy of research subjects).
It is important to distinguish the communication strategy for a research project from the publication strategy of an individual academic or a department. Although the research will figure in the publication strategy of those who have done the research, in the first instance, consideration should be on how to target the research to maximise the impact on its intended audience. This has little or nothing to do with 'impact factors' of journals. Unless the research is aimed at a specific target academic group, the first line of dissemination of the research outcomes would not be through a journal article Most journals have limited readership and publishing in them may enhance the reputation of the author among peers (and research evaluators) but communicating research outcomes this way has minimal impact outside this very narrow sphere.
For example, in October 2018, it was claimed that there are over 4,000,000 research articles on Taylor & Francis Online and the publisher set up an interactive map to how research changes the world. There were just five examples on the map.
When deciding on a research strategy, consider time factors where time is important. A 250-page book, for example, is usually not a rapid means by which to disseminate a research study. A 50-page booklet distributed free at key events or through the post to a target audience may be fairly rapid, albeit rather more expensive than creating a website with the same material.
However, a tangible product such as a book, may have more success in attracting readers than a website. It will depend on the target audience and the design, readability and general attractiveness of the publication.
For example, the dissemination of the research on work experience for undergraduate students (Harvey et al. 1998) was aimed both at the higher education sector as a whole and employers. So, an accessible, jargon-free, work experience report, designed for a general readership, was made freely available via an employer's organisation and sent to appropriate people concerned with employability within universities. This was backed up by a several launch conferences in different parts of the country to further galvanise and encourage engagement in the research area. This was in the early days of the Internet and probably the report would now be attractively designed but sent as a pdf file and hosted on a well-advertised web site.
