Ensuring Accessibility of Research Findings Strategic planning is needed when presenting research to make it both effect

Ensuring Accessibility of Research Findings

Strategic planning is needed when presenting research to make it both effective and understood by most people. I will consider a number of elements to reach an audience that is both diverse and large. I will make certain that all my language is simple, jargon-free and direct so that readers everywhere can understand the data. I will also share the research in several forms, for example, in written reports, infographics, audio versions or brief videos, so that everybody can find what suits them.

Making information accessible online is very important as well. I will make sure that the documents I create can be read by screen readers, all images are described by alt text and all platforms I use are in line with the WCAG. To grow my audience, I shall distribute the findings on ResearchGate and other open-access platforms run by universities or research groups. Takeaways and insights can reach a larger group of people via social media (LinkedIn, Twitter/X) and blogs. I will make sure that the research is easy to understand and useful in the real world by meeting with people and discussing it through presentations, webinars and workshops.

Video that discusses writing a discussion section

To write a strong Discussion section, try watching Scribbr’s video titled "How to Write the Discussion Section of a Research Paper". The video clearly outlines the key points by: covering the most important findings, explaining how the results relate to previous studies, discussing the shortcomings and suggesting further research topics.

It made me understand how to relate my results to the research question while staying critical about my findings. It also made it clear that researchers should mention study limitations yet still believe in the research’s credibility. Even so, I wonder about a few points:

•           How can I strike a balance between being concise and giving a detailed analysis in the discussion?

•           How can I present unanticipated or clashing findings so that the reader doesn’t get wrong information?

Applying Research in Personal and Professional Life

Research has always played an important role in helping me decide what to do at work. An example is when I studied different methods to promote effective teamwork among remote employees. The main question I wanted to answer was: “What tools and methods increase both productivity and communication among members of a distributed team?”

Using studies about digital tools (Slack and Trello) and agile workflows, as well as the idea of asynchronous communication, I put in place daily check-ins and set flexible due dates for tasks which greatly increased the team’s efficiency. It showed me that using evidence works better than making decisions by trial and error.

Apart from work, I have also turned to research to decide on changes in my diet or fitness practices, by reading about the findings in medical studies. In general, research has given me the knowledge to decide rationally, avoiding decisions based only on chance stories.

Reflection and Asking Further Questions

It has clearly shown why how we share research matters. I now apply certain techniques for accessibility and discussion writing and yet I keep wondering about:

•           What methods do researchers use to see how their findings are used after they are published?

•           What different approaches (other than just journals and social media) exist for getting research into the eyes of policymakers and key industry members?

References

Scribbr. (2020, March 11). How to write the discussion section of a research paper [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q6NfN3XyxM

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). (2018). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. W3C. https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/