Disseminating Results to the Public

Most research dissemination stops at communicating findings beyond manuscripts and presentations to academic and scientific audiences. Yet disseminating research findings to the broader public is an important component in ensuring that relevant research is communicated to those who can benefit from receiving those results.

To successfully do so, one must consider:

Your audience: who you are disseminating study findings to, and
Your communication methods and channels: how and where the communication will take place.

Please see the resources and tools below to assist in your efforts to disseminate research findings to the general public.

Public Summary Guidelines, Templates, and Examples

A Public Summary is a succinct, easy-to-understand overview of a research study that details the study’s purpose, main findings, and impact. A Public Summary can be developed in tandem with a study’s scientific manuscript and abstract. For guidance on how to develop a Public Summary, see the Guidelines document below. Templates are also available for download to adapt and use, as well as several examples.

Public Summary Guidelines
Public Summary Templates (Canva version) (Word version)
Public Summary Examples 1, 2, and 3

For descriptions and examples of other ways to disseminate research findings, visit the Disseminating Results to Study Participants page.

Toolkit Resources

Dissemination

Toolkits that assist with disseminating research findings to the public can be found here (list) and here (table).

Health Literacy

The following are resources on health literacy, plain language, and readability.