A modern take on research communication, Part I

What if we could start all over again? Knowing what we know now, about the needs for research and the opportunities to improve the human condition, about the power of the Internet, and about the importance of the global village, what would we want publishing to look like? ...

A modern take on research communication, part II: Changing perspectives

This post is second in a four-part series on a modern system for research communication, by Jennifer Gibson. The first post, on the shape and impact of research communication is available here. Reactions from readers are very welcome. ...

An Author’s Guide to Mastering Research Communication Skills: Introduction of a Medical Manuscript

Skilled academic/medical writing is critical to research communication. The fundamental sections of a scholarly manuscript are introduction, methods, results and discussion. The introduction of a medical manuscript is aimed at briefing readers on the clinical extent and public health context of the research problem. It must justify the essentialness of the research to the scientific community and reveal any underlying research novelty. Skillfully conceived, designed and performed research protocols that are unskillfully presented can lose scientific credibility and impact. Without research communication skills authors would not be able to display the usefulness of their research for the scientific community. Generally, research communication or medical writing training/skills is underrepresented in curricular systems of medical schools globally. This can challenge publication quality and quantity of early-career authors/researchers. The author presents the academic experience he accumulated through peer review and supervision of vast manuscripts and theses. This article aimed at presenting a comprehensive roadmap for academic writing of the introduction and at identifying its common pitfalls.

Investigation of Factors Affecting the Adoption of Information and Communication Technologies for Communication of Research Output in Research Institutions in Kenya

<p>Using Rogers' (2003) and Hofstede's (2001) technology diffusion theories as lenses, this exploratory and interpretive study was an endeavour to contribute to the understanding of ICT-enabled research communication by and for scholars and researchers working in Kenya. The main purpose of the study was to identify factors affecting ICT-enabled research communication by researchers in research institutions in specific fields within the natural and applied sciences in Kenya, which are viewed as key result areas in socio-economic development. Qualitative techniques were used to collect and analyze the data and present the findings. The researcher sought to identify, understand and explain key factors affecting ICT-mediated scientific research communication with a view to coming up with an ICT-adoption framework that would assist the Kenyan research community in more effectively adopting ICT-enabled research dissemination practices. This in turn should support Kenya's national development goals and contribute to the existing knowledge base and serve as a useful reference point in research communication debates and policy deliberations. The findings revealed researchers' priority research communication need was reinforcement of capacity for strategic research through recognising and prioritising research communication in budgetary planning. Thus, the findings call for investment in scientific and technological research and its communication, which includes improving tools and infrastructure, especially ICT-enabled ones like Internet connectivity and other e-resources. The findings affirmed the literature and extant theories guiding the study but also revealed information unique to the Kenyan context. Among emerging factors affecting adoption of ICT for scientific research communication were socio-cultural factors such as appreciation and perception of ICT; attitude of the scientific research community; demographic issues such as age/level of qualification, gender, poverty and literacy levels; communication networks and traditional cultural values such as orature, communalism and education culture. There were also institutional factors which included issues to do with ICT governance such as political and institutional leadership and culture; institutional framework; policy and strategy and legal and regulatory framework; and control over mass media communication channels. Moreover, inadequate institutional capacity for ICT-mediated research communication, lack of demand for MIS for research and teaching, lack of recognition and motivation for researchers were found to hinder ICT-mediated research communication. Though ICT had the perceived attributes of relative advantages, compatibility, complexity, observability and reliability, there were relative disadvantages that discouraged adoption. These included the need for hard- & software and virus upgrades; its susceptibility to environmental factors; dependence on other infrastructures that may be unavailable or unreliable; and possibilities for information overload and plagiarism. Other factors affecting ICT adoption that emerged outside the preliminary model included the nature of discipline/type of data; personal/individual institution's initiative; telephone wire thefts and lack of ICT research. All these contextual perspectives informed the framework for adoption of ICT for scientific research communication by researchers and scholars in research institutions in Kenya.</p>

Investigation of Factors Affecting the Adoption of Information and Communication Technologies for Communication of Research Output in Research Institutions in Kenya

<p>Using Rogers' (2003) and Hofstede's (2001) technology diffusion theories as lenses, this exploratory and interpretive study was an endeavour to contribute to the understanding of ICT-enabled research communication by and for scholars and researchers working in Kenya. The main purpose of the study was to identify factors affecting ICT-enabled research communication by researchers in research institutions in specific fields within the natural and applied sciences in Kenya, which are viewed as key result areas in socio-economic development. Qualitative techniques were used to collect and analyze the data and present the findings. The researcher sought to identify, understand and explain key factors affecting ICT-mediated scientific research communication with a view to coming up with an ICT-adoption framework that would assist the Kenyan research community in more effectively adopting ICT-enabled research dissemination practices. This in turn should support Kenya's national development goals and contribute to the existing knowledge base and serve as a useful reference point in research communication debates and policy deliberations. The findings revealed researchers' priority research communication need was reinforcement of capacity for strategic research through recognising and prioritising research communication in budgetary planning. Thus, the findings call for investment in scientific and technological research and its communication, which includes improving tools and infrastructure, especially ICT-enabled ones like Internet connectivity and other e-resources. The findings affirmed the literature and extant theories guiding the study but also revealed information unique to the Kenyan context. Among emerging factors affecting adoption of ICT for scientific research communication were socio-cultural factors such as appreciation and perception of ICT; attitude of the scientific research community; demographic issues such as age/level of qualification, gender, poverty and literacy levels; communication networks and traditional cultural values such as orature, communalism and education culture. There were also institutional factors which included issues to do with ICT governance such as political and institutional leadership and culture; institutional framework; policy and strategy and legal and regulatory framework; and control over mass media communication channels. Moreover, inadequate institutional capacity for ICT-mediated research communication, lack of demand for MIS for research and teaching, lack of recognition and motivation for researchers were found to hinder ICT-mediated research communication. Though ICT had the perceived attributes of relative advantages, compatibility, complexity, observability and reliability, there were relative disadvantages that discouraged adoption. These included the need for hard- & software and virus upgrades; its susceptibility to environmental factors; dependence on other infrastructures that may be unavailable or unreliable; and possibilities for information overload and plagiarism. Other factors affecting ICT adoption that emerged outside the preliminary model included the nature of discipline/type of data; personal/individual institution's initiative; telephone wire thefts and lack of ICT research. All these contextual perspectives informed the framework for adoption of ICT for scientific research communication by researchers and scholars in research institutions in Kenya.</p>

Beyond the Grey Zone: Organization Research Publishing and Bibliodiversity in the Research Communication System

Research publishing involves the production, use and management of research in a variety of genres and formats by commercial and non-profit academic publishers, and by organizations in government, civil society, university and industry sectors. However discussion of research publishing mainly tends to focus on the production and circulation of peer-reviewed academic journals and to a lesser extent books produced by commercial academic publishers. Research reports and papers produced by organizations outside the formal publishing system play a critical role in the research and development (R&D) system, yet they are often overlooked in studies on open scholarship and research communication. This is partly due to a lack of terminology to adequately describe the diverse publishing practices of organizations which operate across a spectrum from formal to informal economic activity. In this article I define and contextualise research publishing by organizations in relation to other forms of academic publishing and recent calls for greater bibliodiversity in scholarly communication. Commonly used terms such as ‘grey literature’ or ‘unpublished literature’ are inadequate to describe and account for the proliferation and importance of diverse research genres and formats able to be produced, published and disseminated in print and online by think tanks, government agencies, industry bodies and research centres. By taking a more holistic, systems-oriented approach to research publishing we can begin to understand the diverse actors, institutions and practices involved in knowledge production and develop appropriate policies, infrastructure and management practices to support an effective, efficient, equitable, credible and sustainable research knowledge commons in the public interest.

Develop Your Lay-Level Research Communication Strategy

This chapter covers the practical steps to creating a communication strategy to enhance your research and your career. Developing a strategy for communicating to lay audiences is important for successfully reaching those audiences. That strategy involves first protecting scientific publication against premature public release of scientific data and conclusions. A strategy also involves giving a comprehensive, coherent view of one’s research, sharing one’s research process, and fitting into the institution’s mission. Finding popular “hooks” for communication, or vivid metaphors familiar to people in their everyday lives, will engage your audience and greatly help communicate your work. A successful strategy also entails coordinating with funding agencies and becoming an expert resource for the media.

Explaining Research

Explaining Research is the most comprehensive guide to research communication. It offers practical tools and techniques to effectively reach professional and lay audiences important to researchers’ success. These audiences include colleagues, potential collaborators, officers in funding agencies and foundations, donors, institutional leaders, corporate partners, students, legislators, family and friends, journalists, and the public. The book also includes strategies to guide research communication, as well as insights from leading science journalists and research communicators. The book shows how to develop a communication “strategy of synergy”; give compelling talks; build a professional website; create quality posters, images, animations, graphs, charts, videos, e-newsletters, blogs, podcasts, and webinars; write popular articles and books; persuade funding decision makers; produce news releases and other content that attract media coverage; give effective media interviews; serve as a public educator in schools and science centers; and protect against communication traps.

Plan Your Research Communication Strategy

Researchers should chart a communication strategy to maximize the benefit of their communications to their research and career. They first need to free themselves from the attitude that they should fear communicating to lay audiences because of the inherent imprecision of lay communications. Also, they should overcome the fear of communicating beyond their peers because their peers might judge them harshly. They should have a “do-tell” strategy that they communicate as much as possible about their goals and research advances. Such a strategy ensures that their work will reach audiences that they might not have expected. They should also have a “strategy of synergy,” in which they use such content as news releases to reach multiple audiences beyond the media.