Sharing Research Findings
Now that you finished your research, you can share your findings. Learn about alternatives to traditional publishing below.
Purpose
Think broadly about your research. What do you hope to accomplish? Do you want to:
- Initiate change in your field, community, or organization?
- Establish yourself as an expert in your field?
- Stimulate research to fill an information gap?
- Advance your career?
Audience
Consider the target audience for your research. Your audience will largely determine the best ways to disseminate information about your dissertation. Target audiences for disseminating dissertations may include:
Scholars
These are your peers, and other researchers like you in the field. This audience may include authors cited in your literature review, your colleagues at Saint Mary’s, faculty members, researchers at other universities, and other institutions.
Practitioners
These are professional practitioners in your field of research. This audience may include professional or trade organizations, people in your professional network, and colleagues at your workplace. Many practitioners are also scholars, and vice versa.
General Public
These are individuals for whom your research is of general interest. This audience may include the demographic you focus on in your research, consumers of popular interest media, or non-practitioners in your workplace.
Methods for Sharing Your Findings
Articles
Publishing an article in a scholarly journal requires considerable work and persistence. Learn more by reading Publishing Articles.
Conference Papers and Posters
A conference paper or poster is both a written article and an oral presentation. The format varies greatly from conference to conference, and it will pay to do your research beforehand.
- Find conferences that are most appropriate for your topic.
- Consider the personal cost of attending against potential career benefits.
- Follow the conference submission guidelines when writing your conference paper.
- Design your presentation to fit the conference theme.
- Learn how to develop conference papers
Infographics
Infographics are visual representations of data. They convey information to a target audience in an engaging and colorful way. Infographics can make great social media posts and can be distributed to your audience at conferences and in the workplace. Learn how to design compelling infographics.
Newspaper Op-Ed
Submit an op-ed to local and national newspapers, highlighting your dissertation findings.
Self-Publishing
Independent or self-publishing is a way to turn your manuscript into a book without going through a traditional publisher. Cost and format vary depending on which publisher you choose.
Social Media
As always, read the fine print before creating accounts with third-party vendors.
Share your dissertation with over 33 million scholars by creating a free Academia.edu account. According to Academia.edu, “A study recently published in PLOS ONE found that papers uploaded to Academia receive a 69% boost in citations over 5 years.” Read the referenced study.
Blogs
Blogs can be a flexible way to establish your position as an academic and disseminate your findings in a new way. Consider starting your own personal blog, or submit a single blog post for an academic blog you read. Here are some tips on how to write an academic blog.
According to Google Scholar Profiles, “you can check who is citing your publications, graph citations over time, and compute several citation metrics. You can also make your profile public, so that it may appear in Google Scholar results when people search for your name (e.g., Richard Feynman).”
Create a LinkedIn account and include a PDF or link to your research findings.
Similar to Academia.edu and Google Scholar, ResearchGate enables you to share your dissertation with a community of 9 million scholars, get citation statistics, collaborate with peers, and find academic jobs.
Communicate with researchers in your field by following this academic guide.
Website
Once you are more established as a scholar, you can use a website builder to create a personal academic website. Treat the website as an online CV. Include exemplary syllabi, research interests, contact information, links to published articles and books, presentations delivered, courses taught, and a professional headshot.
Workplace Reports and Presentations
Presenting your research findings to your workplace can be an effective strategy for initiating change. Showing the initiative to present your research can establish you as a field expert in your workplace and can build your resume. Consider giving a presentation on how your research can connect to workplace practice.
Best Methods for Reaching Your Audience
| Scholars | Practitioners | General Public | |
| Journal Articles | ✓ | ||
| Conference Papers | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Social Media | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Infographics | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Newspaper Op-Ed | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Website | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Work Presentation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |