Researchers spend a significant amount of time and resources conducting research studies in the hope of generating new knowledge and insights. However, if they are unable to effectively communicate their findings to relevant audiences, their work could go unnoticed. Therefore, the importance of communication in research cannot be emphasised enough.
Why is communicating research important in research?
There are several reasons why you must communicate the research you write. Let’s read why communicating research is important.
- It helps boost awareness of your work: Communicating research findings to wider audiences can help bridge the gap between academic research and public understanding and goes a long way in boosting researcher credibility. When the public is informed about your research, it increases the chances of them supporting the research financially and participating in studies or clinical trials.
- It helps you get the funding you need: Effective research communication can help you convince funding agencies that your research is worth investing in. A well-presented research proposal can help funders understand the significance of your research, the potential impact it could have, and the methods you plan to use to achieve your research goals.
- It helps peers and colleagues to make informed and ethical decisions: Scientific research plays a significant role in informing policy decisions, but if research findings are not communicated effectively, it can lead to misunderstandings, poor decision-making, and even harm. Therefore, communicating research findings in a clear, concise, and transparent manner is important so that your peers can understand your research and use it appropriately.
- It can potentially fuel discoveries that advance science: Effective research communication can help researchers to build networks, collaborate with others and get access to the latest research findings, which can lead to discoveries that further advance our understanding of science.
Why is it difficult to communicate research effectively?
There are several reasons why people find it difficult to communicate research effectively. Some research studies, for example, may be complex and involve multiple variables or methods. It can be challenging to explain these complex concepts in a way that is easily understandable for non-experts. Additionally, many researchers struggle with translating their research findings into English as they do not speak the language. This makes it difficult for the larger scientific community and other interested audiences to understand the significance of their research.
Researchers must manage the challenge of tailoring their communication style to be able to attract and engage with a wide range of audiences, including policymakers, funders, and the general public. This is very important as ineffective research communication can lead to misinterpretation and misunderstandings of the research findings, which can have negative consequences. For example, if policy decisions are based on incomplete or inaccurate information, it could lead to unintended consequences.
Tips for communicating research to a broader audience
Striking a balance between an easy-to-read paper and a technically sound one is a challenging task. Here are some practical tips that researchers can employ in communicating research accurately and effectively without diluting it.
- Know your audience: Researchers should tailor their communication to the audience they are addressing, whether it be policymakers, other researchers, or the general public. If, for example, you are addressing the scientific community, you may want to lean more on the technical side. On the other hand, if you are writing for broader audiences you may want to use analogies from everyday life to explain your findings.
- Use simple language: While it is important for researchers to ensure that their manuscripts are accurate and technically sound, using jargon and technically complex language can limit readability. For example, instead of using the word ‘Hydrophilic’ you can use the term ‘Hydrogen loving’ which is easier to understand. ‘De jure’ can be simplified to ‘according to law’. This makes it easier for a layman to understand your work.
- Focus on the important parts: As a researcher, it is easy to fall into the trap of explaining all the details of your experiment to readers. However, the reader does not need to know every technical detail. Communicating research should focus on how the results and inferences impact our understanding of things. While the methodology behind the study can be shared, getting into minute details will cause a loss of attention and consequently loss of readership.
- Make use of metaphors to relay your point: Sometimes, technical concepts are complex and explanations are not easy to convey. Here, using analogies or metaphors with something simpler can prove invaluable. For example, instead of explaining a pendulum and what it does, we can liken it to a swing used by a kid. This helps communicate research in an easy-to-understand way.
- Add visual representation to make things engaging: Text accompanied with images and graphs are a great way to attract and hold reader attention. For example, if we are trying to highlight the share of different nations in the world economically, using a graph can help convey data quickly and accurately.
- Ensure transparency and accuracy in your writing: It is essential to be transparent and honest when communicating research findings. This means acknowledging limitations, caveats, and uncertainties, and being clear about what the research findings do and do not show.
Remember, while most researchers find writing to be a daunting task, communicating research is a skill that can be mastered like any other skill. All it requires is patience, practice, and perseverance.
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