Research Guides: Create a Research Dissemination Plan: Research Dissemination

Why create a dissemination plan?

Dissemination planning can expand your thinking about what you share, how you share it, and who you share it with. Strategic dissemination of research findings has numerous benefits to researchers and all those impacted by their research:

Increased visibility: Ensures that research findings reach a wider audience, enhancing the visibility and impact of the work
Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitates collaboration with other researchers, stakeholders, and institutions by sharing findings and methodologies
Informed Decision-Making: Provides policymakers and practitioners with evidence-based information to make informed decisions
Public Awareness: Raises public awareness about important issues and findings, potentially influencing public opinion and behavior
Funding Opportunities: Demonstrates the value and impact of research to potential funders, increasing the likelihood of securing future funding
Compliance and Accountability: Meets the requirements of funding bodies that require dissemination plans

Dissemination Planning Resources

AHRQ Dissemination Planning Tool
Developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, his tool includes step-by-step guidance for researchers to develop a dissemination plan across six areas: research findings and products, end users, dissemination partners, communication, evaluation, and dissemination work plans.
Beyond Scientific Publication: Strategies for Disseminating Research Findings
This guide from CARE (Community Alliance for Research and Engagement) provides key strategies for dissemination, including templates researchers can adapt for their use.
PCORI Dissemination and Implementation Toolkit
Developed by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), this toolkit facilitate strategic planning for dissemination and implementation (D&I) activities to increase awareness of evidence and promote its integration into practice. It includes worksheets to develop a D&I plan across five core plan components: evidence assessment, audience evaluation and partner engagement, dissemination, implementation, and evaluation.
Disseminating Findings from Cochrane Interview Reviews: Checklist and Guidance
Cochrane developed this resource to help improve the quality of dissemination products that present review findings to non-expert audiences, but the guidance and real-world examples of effective communication techniques are also applicable to other types of research.
Becker Medical Library Model for Assessment of Research Impact
The Becker Medical Library model is a framework for tracking, quantifying, and documenting research impact across five categories: advancement of knowledge, clinical implementation, community benefit, legislation and policy, and economic benefit. It is intended to be used as a supplement to publication analysis to provide a more robust and comprehensive perspective of research impact. It can also help researchers identify a wide range of potential impact goals for their dissemination plans.