Dissemination focuses on sharing knowledge and insights. Researchers communicate their research to an audience, for example through a news article, interview, lecture, podcast, blog or social media.

Dissemination is suitable when you want to:

• Share new research findings;
• Explain a topic that is receiving public attention;
• Inform people about how psychological research works;
• Increase the visibility of your research or expertise.

Even when the focus is on dissemination, it is important to take the audience’s questions, prior knowledge and needs into account.

Dialogue involves engaging with people in society and creating a two-way exchange. You ask people what they think, what experiences or knowledge they have, and take these perspectives into account in your research or in the decisions you make.

When can you use dialogue?

Dialogue can be used at different stages of the research process. For example, when setting the research agenda: what should we study? Or when evaluating the research: what do you think of these findings? How would you prefer the results to be shared with you? And how can we keep you motivated to participate across different stages of data collection?

You can invite participants to contribute their ideas or take part in decisions about the approach and focus of a study.

Creating dialogue on an equal footing

Meaningful dialogue also requires attention to accessibility and inclusion. This includes using clear and understandable language, choosing an appropriate location and format, being mindful of cultural differences, and considering any distance or barriers between researchers and participants. It can be helpful to work with trusted representatives or key figures from the group you want to engage with.

More about dialogue

NEWS has compiled practical guidance on what dialogue involves, why it can be valuable, and how to create conversations on an equal footing. Read more on the NEWS website: Dialogue: what, why and how?

Finally, people from society can also take an active role in research or participate directly in parts of the research process. This is what we mean by participation.

A good example from within our own institute is Linda Breeman’s research. Together with patients, she uses participatory workshops and co-creation to develop physical activity programmes for people with cardiovascular disease. Eveline Crone has also actively involved young people and societal partners in different stages of the research process, including the formulation of research questions. In her research on distraction and eating and drinking behaviour, Lotte van Dillen combines fundamental research with co-creation involving members of the public.

Would you like to learn more about citizen science or involve members of the public in your own research? Visit the Leiden University Citizen Science Lab. The Lab supports and organises initiatives in which researchers and members of the public work together on scientific research and data.

Members of the public, professionals and societal organisations have experiential and practical knowledge that researchers may not have themselves. Involving relevant groups in discussions about research questions, study design, data collection, interpretation or application can help ensure that research is better aligned with real-world needs and contexts.

Science communication therefore does not have to be something that happens only after research has been completed. Dialogue and participation can add value during the research process and even before it begins.

People and communities may be the subject of research, but they can also contribute knowledge, experiences and interests that are relevant to it. Where appropriate and feasible, they can therefore take a more active role.

This might mean giving relevant groups the opportunity to contribute to questions that matter to them, have a say in certain aspects of the research, and receive accessible feedback on what the research has produced.

In this way, science communication also has a societal and democratic function: science does not exist separately from the society in which research takes place.

Not everyone has the same opportunities to engage with scientific research. People also differ in their prior knowledge, information needs, language, experience with science and ability to participate in research.

By thinking carefully about who you are reaching  (and who you are not yet reaching) and adapting your communication accordingly, you can make science more accessible to different groups.

Sometimes, this requires more than simply making information available. It may mean choosing different locations, channels, formats or partners in order to genuinely reach and involve particular groups.

Science communication is not a simple way to create or ‘repair’ trust in science. Trust requires openness about how science works.

This means sharing not only compelling findings but, where relevant, also being transparent about uncertainties, the limitations of a study, the choices made during the research process and questions that remain unanswered.

This can help create a more realistic understanding of science as a process in which knowledge is continuously investigated, tested and revised.

Science communication is not only about the conclusions of research. It is also about the process behind them.

How is a research question developed? Why does a researcher choose a particular method? What can and cannot be concluded from the results? Why do studies sometimes appear to contradict one another?

By making this process visible and understandable, people are better able to assess what scientific knowledge means and decide how they want to engage with it.