Not only do research-practice partnerships plan, engage in, and carry out research in ways that differ from the typical academic research process, they also approach how they write about and disseminate research differently. Again, the goal is to bridge the research-practice divide, and to reach those with the research who can actually put it into practice (as well as other audiences specific to your partnership’s mission or your particular research project). When publishing and sharing research findings, it is helpful to think “engagement” rather than “dissemination”: The goal should not be to simply put the research out there and hope people will find it; rather, the goal is to actively engage with various audiences.

Think through who you want to reach with your research and what their specific needs and preferences are. This should inform your engagement strategies and communication products.

For example, for practitioners, it may be beneficial to have executive summaries and infographics accompany a more detailed research report. This will allow time-strapped practitioners to quickly grasp the most important research findings without having to dive in lengthy reports. You might also consider hosting events for sharing research findings with practitioners and relevant community members. Videos and podcasts are other, more interactive ways to share important research, though not all research-practice partnerships may have the resources to produce these.

If you intend to reach a broader audience including readers without research training, you will want to make sure your writing is plain, concise, and easy to understand and that the way you format reports or other products supports easy, uncomplicated reading. The resources below provide guidance to help partnerships think through their communication and engagement strategies.

Knowledge brokers are becoming increasingly critical to facilitating the work of research-practice partnerships (RPPs), serving as a bridge or connecter between the worlds of research and practice. There are a variety of names under which they appear in the literature, including boundary spanners, brokers, and intermediaries. Some of the primary responsibilities associated with this role include translating research to practice and connecting otherwise unconnected actors in both the research, policy, and in-between spaces. Knowledge brokers can come from either the research or practice sides of the partnership; organizations, in addition to individuals, can also play this role. While recognition of their importance in supporting research use in practice continues to grow, not much is known about what constitutes a “good” knowledge broker. Below, we provide a short list of works currently available on (and relevant to) this topic.