Reflections and discussions about KT and the impact of social sciences on society are not new, but they have become much more common place over the last 10 to 15 years due to a number of factors, including a changing governance structure, a growing focus on evidence-based policy and decision-making, and the requirements of granting agencies here and abroad. Nevertheless, KT remains somewhat of an unknown for a good many researchers. This table provides background resources to better understand “what” it is, “how” to do it, and “where” to do it. We also list relevant Canadian and foreign websites.
What
- Julia E. Moore. 2016. Practicing Knowledge Translation: Implementing evidence. Achieving outcomes. Power point presentation.
- Graham, Ian D.; Jo Logan; Margaret B. Harrison; Sharon E. Straus; Jacqueline Tetroe; Wenda Caswell; and Nicole Robinson. 2006. “Lost in Knowledge Translation: Time for a Map?,” The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, Volume 26, Number 1, pp. 13–24.
- Gluckman, Sir Peter. 2011. “Towards Better Use of Evidence in Policy Formation: A Discussion Paper,” Office of the Prime minister’s science advisory committee, New Zealand.
- Tetroe, Jacqueline. 2007. “Knowledge Translation at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research: A Primer,” Focus, Technical brief no. 18.
How
- Guide to Knowledge Translation Planning at CIHR: Integrated and End-of-Grant Approaches
- Tips for scientists on working effectively with the media, Science Media Centre of Canada
- Mobilizing Knowledge for Better Public Policy: Lessons From The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development at Memorial University, by Robert Greenwood, Executive Director, Office of Public Engagement for Memorial University and of The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, presentation at the 2012 CRDCN Annual Conference.
- Ward, Vicky; Simon Smith; Robbie Foy; Allan House; and Susan Hamer. 2010. “Planning for Knowledge Translation: A Researcher's Guide,” Evidence and Policy: Volume 6, Number 4, pp. 527-541.
- ‘How to’ guide to social media, podcasting, blogging and writing your REF impact case study
- Creating effective slides: In this PPt presentation, former CRDCN knowledge transfer coordinator Heather Juby presents the main principles that you should keep in mind when preparing slides to support your conference presentations.
- How to write for the readers: in this PPt presentation prepared for the Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge cluster in March 2013, Mathew Shulman from the Peel-Hamilton-Dufferin Adult Learning Network presents useful and practical tips to help you write effective research brief.
- Communication tools - CHSRF A leader in knowledge exchange since its inception in 1997, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation's Knowledge Exchange site has a wealth of information on effective communication, including some tips for designing a great poster, dealing with the media, giving a presentation to decision makers and reader-friendly writing.
- The KT Clearinghouse is a repository of knowledge translation resources for individuals who want to learn about the science and practice of KT in the health care sector, and access tools that facilitate their own KT research and practices. It is a joint initiative of St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine.
- Media Matters Archive by the Centre for an Accessible Society's provides helpful information, tips and strategies to help you be a valued source for reporters.
- Policy briefs guidelines by the International Policy Fellowships.
Where
- Health Reports A peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research published by the Health Analysis Division of Statistics Canada. It is available online each month and in print on a quarterly basis. It is designed for a broad audience including health professionals, researchers, policymakers and the general public. Submissions should be of wide interest and contain original and timely analyses of national or provincial-territorial surveys or administrative databases.
- Policy Options A bilingual magazine published 10 times per year by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). Its goal is to encourage an informed debate on the important public policy issues of the day. Articles (between 1,500 and 4,000 words) are written for an educated (though not necessarily specialist) readership. Contributors are encouraged to avoid submissions with excessive discipline-specific jargon and theory.
- Canadian Public Policy An interdisciplinary journal, published quarterly, that aims to stimulate research and discussion of economic and social public policy problems in Canada. Articles (under 7000 words) may be submitted in English or French. They should be policy-relevant, of a high intellectual standard and comprehensible to readers outside the author's own discipline.
- The Monitor Amonthly journal sent free to all members of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). A limited selection of articles are available on-line.
Interesting websites
- The Canadian Knowledge Transfer and Exchange Community of Practice (KTECOP) is a Canadian network of practitioners and researchers who share knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) practices and experience, build peer relationships for information exchange and support, build KTE capacity, advance knowledge of KTE effectiveness, and share KTE events, job opportunities and other related KTE activities.
- The Campbell Collaboration is an international research network that aims to help people make well-informed decisions by preparing, maintaining and disseminating systematic reviews in education, crime and justice, and social welfare. It is based on voluntary cooperation among researchers of a variety of backgrounds.
- Informed Opinions is working to amplify women’s voices and build their leadership capacity. The project trains and supports women in making their ideas more accessible and increasing their impact. Its goals are to bridge the gender gap in public commentary and enhance the quality of public discourse by expanding the diversity of perspectives that inform Canada’s policies and priorities.
- The Evidence Network of Canadian Health Policy, commonly known as EvidenceNetwork.ca is a non-partisan web-based project funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Manitoba Health Research Council to make the latest evidence on controversial health policy issues available to the media. It aims to link journalists with health policy experts to provide access to credible, evidence-based information.
- Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement List a series of 18 articles describing processes for ensuring that relevant research is identified, appraised and used to inform decisions about health policies and programs. The tools were written for people responsible for health policy decision-making (e.g., health system managers and policy-makers) and for those who support them.
- Research Impact is a knowledge mobilization network involving the several Canadian universities: York, Victoria, Guelph, Memorial, Saskatchewan and UQÀM. It is designed to connect university researchers with policy-makers and community organizations seeking research to inform decision-making and develop sustainable solutions to social, environmental, economic and cultural challenges.
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The Knowledge Mobilization Institute is a non-profit Corporation focused on: education, learning and capacity development on issues of knowledge mobilization; collaboration and community engagement; applied research and policy support; and evaluation and monitoring.
- The Impact of Social Sciences is a blog run by the LSE Public Policy Group to help maximize the impact of academic work in the social sciences, be encouraging debate, sharing best practices and keeping the impact community up to date with recent news, events and debate.