Create a Research Dissemination Plan

This template is designed to help researchers create a comprehensive, strategic dissemination plan that maximizes the impact of their research. Work through the sections sequentially, as each builds on the previous ones. Starting with identifying your intended outcomes will help guide your subsequent decisions about audiences, content, and communication methods.

Not all questions may be relevant for you, and you can adapt questions to fit your specific research area and goals.

Remember that dissemination planning is iterative. Revisit and refine your strategy as you learn what works best for your research and stakeholders.

1.1. What outcomes do you want to achieve through your research?

• Knowledge Impact: Generating new knowledge and advancing understanding
• Social Impact: Community well-being, connectedness, and quality of life
• Health Impact: Public health, prevention and treatment of illness, and reduced health inequality
• Policy Impact: Changes in policy, regulations, or legislation
• Economic Impact: New products or services, cost savings, and efficiency improvements

2.1. Who needs to be informed, engaged, or influenced to achieve your intended outcomes?

• Academic Community: Researchers and students in your field and adjacent disciplines
• Research Participants: Communities and individual participants included in your study
• Practitioners: Professionals who might apply your findings
• Policy Makers: Government officials and regulatory bodies who can enact change
• General Public: Community organizations and individuals who are or could be impacted by your research
• Funders: Grant agencies and foundations who can fund future research
• Industry Partners: Companies that can partner on research and help translate research into practical applications

2.2. What are the specific characteristics and information needs of each stakeholder group?

• What information do they need to take action toward your goals?
• What are their primary interests and motivations?
• What do they currently know or believe about your research topic?
• What would help them trust and value your research?
• Where and how do they typically consume information?
• What formats do they prefer?

3.1. What types of research outputs do you have to share?

• Data: Datasets, statistical analyses, data visualizations, infographics
• Media: Images, audio recordings, videos
• Written content: Reports, peer-reviewed articles, white papers
• Code and methods: Software, algorithms, protocols, experimental designs

3.2. How will you adapt or create content for each audience?

• What contextual information is needed for each audience?
• What type of language is appropriate for each audience (specialized language versus plain language)?
• How will you frame your findings to connect with audience needs or interests?

4.1. What are the best methods to reach each audience?

• Researchers: Peer-reviewed journals, conferences, academic networking platforms
• Educators: Lesson plans, course materials, and teaching tools
• General Public: News media (print, digital, broadcast), social media platforms, websites, podcast and video platforms, in-person and virtual events
• Practitioners: Professional conferences, continuing education opportunities, webinars, online courses, implementation guides
• Policymakers: Policy briefs, white papers

4.2. How will you create feedback loops?

• How will you collect ongoing feedback during dissemination?
• How can you enable two-way communication with stakeholders?

5.1. What resources are available for your dissemination efforts?

• Financial resources
• Human resources
• Skills and expertise
• Technology resources
• Institutional resources

5.2. Who are your potential dissemination partners?

• How will you initiate and maintain partnerships?
• What resources will partners need to effectively disseminate your research?
• How will you acknowledge partner contributions?

5.3. How will you allocate your resources?

• How will you maximize impact with available resources?
• Which activities offer the best return on investment for achieving your goals?
• What is the contingency plan for unexpected costs?

6.1. What challenges might arise, and how will you address them?

This table below lists potential challenges across five categories (access, comprehension, attitudinal, practical, and privacy) and proposed solutions.

7.1. What is your dissemination timeline?

• What are the key milestones and deadlines?
• Should findings be released all at once or gradually?
• How will you accommodate unexpected developments or findings?

7.2. What are the roles and responsibilities for each member of the research team and/or for a dissemination partner?

• What specific tasks fall to each team member or partner?
• What oversight mechanisms will ensure quality and consistency?
• How will you track your dissemination activities?

8.1. How will you measure and document dissemination reach?

The reach of your dissemination efforts can be measured through quantitative metrics. However, reach is not the same as impact, so quantitative metrics should be used to inform and complement, not replace, qualitative evidence of impact.

• Quantitative metrics: Download counts, views, attendance numbers, media mentions, social media interactions, comments
• Citation metrics: Number of citations in scholarly journals and books, course syllabi and teaching materials, policy and legislative documents, patents, clinical guidelines, and professional or technical standards

8.2 How will you measure and document dissemination impact?

Qualitative evidence moves beyond merely counting the number of citations received or the number of people impacted by your research. Instead, it provides context and captures nuances that quantitative measures can't. It can also highlight aspects of impact that are difficult to quantify and can be used to tell stories that demonstrate impact. Qualitative evidence can be captured through:

• Qualitative data from feedback forms, surveys, interviews, and focus groups
• Case studies and testimonials from key stakeholders
• Letters of support from research partners, stakeholders, or others who have benefited from the research

Qualitative evidence can also be discovered by assessing the nature, rather than the number, of citations to your work and conversations about your work in news outlets, blogs, and social media.

9.1. How will you sustain engagement and impact over time?

Example strategies include:

• Allocate resources to measuring long-term outcomes.
• Ensure long-term access to content by developing a content preservation plan.
• Encourage long-term stakeholder engagement by developing implementation champions or communities of practice.
• Establish a timeline and process to communicate new findings and implementation lessons.