Knowledge Translation

To help ensure that their research makes a difference, research organizations are committing more time and resources to knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) — the practice of putting relevant research into the hands of key decision-makers and stakeholders in a timely, accessible and useful manner.

Yet, the effectiveness of current KTE practices has not been routinely or consistently evaluated. In part, this could be because of the lack of instruments for assessing the impact of KTE activities.

Eager to find out what impact blogging and social media could have on the dissemination of her work, Melissa Terras took all of her academic research, including papers that have been available online for years, to the web and found that her audience responded with a huge leap in interest in her work.

In research circles these days much is being said about the 3 K's: knowledge exchange, knowledge translation, and knowledge mobilization. The latter is really an umbrella term that encompasses translation and exchange, so focusing on mobilization, I propose that any tool used to help facilitate a knowledge mobilization strategy must support bi-directional conversations, must support building external networks, must present information in the right context, and must provide means to measure success.

DialoguePH is a network for public health professionals across Canada. The network is hosted by NCCMT and supports the sharing of methods, tools and experiences related to moving research evidence into practice. Current network initiatives include discussion forums, weekly messages, a member directory, professional development opportunities and polls.