Disseminating research findings to the community is less straightforward than medical journals. Complicated scientific concepts need to be broken down into simple core messages that could be easily understood and not misunderstood or misinterpreted by the community. It is important that researchers communicate at a level that would be meaningful to community participants while remaining scientifically accurate. Using visuals, and animation that are easy to understand will help carry your message.

Professional academic social networks such as ResearchGate and academia.edu have millions of users. New innovative online formats for interaction with the wider public such as Ted Talk broadcast via YouTube, TICTOC, and Facebook receive millions of views. It is important to explore new ways of reaching and involving audiences beyond researcher’s usual dissemination targets (I. E., other scholars) to actively involve peers and community members who would otherwise remain out of reach using the traditional methods of communication. Adopting innovative dissemination methods can lead to new cross disciplinary collaborations, by helping to create new research publications and funding opportunities. It will also improve medical mistrust and open new doors to new opportunities and collaborations. When disseminating information about your research findings to the overall community there are a few questions that you should think about. First, who is most affected by your research? Who might find it most valuable? What it is it that you want your audience to take away? It is important to get to know your target audience, their needs and expectations of the research outcomes and to target and frame your key research message and results that you want to communicate to specific groups. Think first from the perspective of what your specific audience might want or need to hear from you, rather than what you want to tell them. Community dissemination may cost more, is a bit more work, so in your research proposal it is always good to include a budget for dissemination of your findings as well as how you will engage your participants to help you reach outside communities who may be interested in your research.

It is important to acknowledge how your partners participation helped, what were the conclusions, or how the research helped the larger community. Researchers need to eliminate the “helicopter research” model where researchers never bring results back to the community, thus fly in than fly out never to be heard from again. Research participants will help you develop a model for broader research dissemination. They already are your captive audience and can introduce you to interested community members who want to hear about your research and can give you innovative ways to bring results back to the community.

Embracing open access to publications, data and tools can boost the impact of your research. Open Access articles receive nearly a fifth more citations than average and pre-printing allows you to communicate your results much earlier than academic journals would allow. It also promotes the transparency and reproducibility of your research. 

Finally, through open communication, you can help to raise awareness about diversity and increase the visibility and inclusion of underrepresented groups. Additionally, your research findings should always reach all those who might be affected by it.