Hi Nvenakeng,

I think part of it has to do with how academics communicate. We very much get used to writing for publication, presenting at conferences and debating amongst ourselves. This invites a type of conversation and communication that is exceedingly academic-sounding in its nature. And the nature of those conversations are not inviting to non-academic practionners and community members.

We must find a way to communicate our findings in a way that can not only be understood by non-academics, but intelligently debated by the broader public. By this, I do not mean boiling down our research to morning-show ready headlines. Rather, I mean that we need to learn to express our findings, ideas and reservations in a way that invites the broadest, most open possible conversation. That also means avoiding being trapped in debates over intricacies that, often, are not relevant in the larger scheme of public discourse and policy making. Our current diet of academic publication and conference presentations simply does not do that.

I support your statements Loise Moustakas. How then do we disseminate information to non-academic audience and effectively raise awareness, change perceptions and engage the communities into appropriate actions to resolve societal challenges?

First of all, disseminate to the communities where the research was done. That will cause you to tone it down to common language. Meet local leaders and suggest any actionable points.

Yes, Emmanueil Benon Turinawe. Disseminating results to the participatory communities is good, but our research should be geared towards a larger audience to great a significant impact.

Meeting with local chiefs/leaders is also good. However, their limited capacity, social power and top-down governance strategies (as evident in Cameroon) often prevent them from organising any tangible action at a larger scale.

I agree with both Louis and Emmanuell. In order for research to be used and useful, it has to be digestible by the relevant audience. In addition to what's been suggested, try to find the parts of the research that community leaders can introduce to their communities which will actually benefit that community. It should also be very interesting to the researchers when their outputs become outcomes and the research is actionable in the real world. Regular citizens can be taught all of this, it just has to be understandable and have relevance and, last, not cost them anything.

I believe that to impact effective action research should be decoded and presented so that communities have full understanding of what has been investigated and its practical implications to make sense.

For G. Fourez, scientific discourse is useless if not applicable to daily life. Science needs the flexibility to approach a common sense experience.

 "Scientists should not be one-dimensional beings incapable of seeing anything other than the technique itself."

Best regards

Most of the time we take up a problem to solve through research which WE feel as important to the society, and here starts our problem. First of all we have to establish that what ever we have planned to investigate and do research is actually relevant to the society's needs. Once we finalize this aspect, there should be continued interaction and involvement of the public or beneficiary group. Most often highly sophisticated and technologically well advanced solutions are proposed in our research work, which is hard to understand and digest by the common man. Hence, before finalizing the recommendations, the results should be presented, debated and discussed with all cross-section of people like direct beneficiary, local experts, people's elected representatives and the service departments. This may appear easy, but it is slightly difficult/tricky, though not impossible. However for achieving long term goals and sustainability, this inclusiveness in our research is very essential.

Other things required are:

1. Recommendations should be in simple language and if possible in local language.

2. The recommendations should be implementable.

3. Create awareness amongst the beneficiaries through interactive sessions and

    group meetings, highlighting the benefits of the project.

4. Make the report available to the Government and service departments.

5. Ensure people's involvement in the implementation of the recommendations.

Thank you all for your valuable contributions. It is interesting when research outputs become outcomes, but the practical implementation of research recommendations are often not realised. All the factors enlisted above such as creating awareness, local involvement, ... are well documented. Despite so many literature on how to conduct research with higher community impact, most of our research still ends with publication. Is there something we are missing???

I think Dr. Suzanne you have come back to the starting point once again (your original question) !!! What we are missing is not understanding what is needed by the people. Like I have already expressed we assume something as important to the community and recommend solutions & try to impose onto the people, and ultimately the whole scheme fails. The whole exercise should be need / demand based. 

In continuation to my earlier responses, I would like to quote an example of a project our Centre implemented in the Lakshadweep Islands located in the Arabian Sea. The project area as one can visualise is surrounded by sea and freshwater availability even for drinking purpose is very scarce. Hence to overcome the drinking water scarcity. one of the objectives proposed in the project was to conserve rain water on the ground surface in cement tanks of 10,000 litres capacity  through roof-top rain water harvesting. As the people in the region are poor and illiterate, they were very sceptical of the idea and even not forthcoming to participate in the implementation. Later series of awareness programmes were conducted to impress upon the people in terms of the better quality of the roof-top rain water as compared to the existing well water quality and also the health hazards due to the existing practices of the Islanders. Even some quotes on water were extracted from the holy Quran, published the same as small booklets in the local language and the same were also presented before the public to make them more responsible and respectful in terms of water conservation and management. Our project  was a grand success. At the end of the project, the structures were handed over to the land owners for periodic maintenance such as cleaning of the filter media, inner portion of the tank, etc.,and also to create a sense of ownership and responsibility among the beneficiary.

Thank you Smith for your input.  I will also try to partner with my target audience and connect with others stakeholders and policy makers.