Research Communication
There are many ways to communicate research and research results. Research communication can be geared toward other researchers in one’s field or to audiences outside of it and can be carried out through a variety of media and formats.
Research communication is also a relevant topic for early career researchers. Communicating one’s own research can provide new ideas, make one’s own results visible, and advance one’s career.
Research Communication Project
The Research Communication Project, initiated and funded by the Claussen-Simon-Stiftung, has been running at the Hamburg Research Academy since 2019. The projects aims to qualify early career researchers in Hamburg in communicating research work, to inspire researchers’ enthusiasm for the topic, to question framework conditions, and to find solutions together.
The project includes a broad range of workshops on different areas of research communication, a funding for projects, an exchange network, a podcast, and networking events. Participation is open to all early career researchers at the member institutions of the Hamburg Research Academy.
First steps in research communication
Researchers at all career stages can get involved in research communication. Especially at the beginning of their academic career, research communication enables researchers to . . .
- gather experience acting as experts in their field
- make contacts outside academia, which can be helpful when, for example, collaborating on projects or pursuing a nonacademic career later on
- demonstrate soft skills such as project management, mediation skills, and communication skills through actual project work
- prove experience in knowledge exchange between research and society when applying for funding.
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Research communication is important for . . .
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researchers to get new ideas for their work, to make their research (results) visible, and to advance their career
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society to gain access to new research insights and to be able to put its own questions to and demands on science and scholarship
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universities to present their research activities and to attract potential early career researchers and new employees.
With research communication, you can . . .
- inform
- generate interest
- inspire enthusiasm for a topic
- come up with new ideas
- view your own research from a new perspective.
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Research communication aimed at the general public is often not effective. The important thing is to keep a close eye on your own target group: Who do you want to address, and how do you best reach them? You can meaningfully narrow down the target group by using various criteria, for example:
- sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, place of residence, and income
- education and prior knowledge
- interest in the topic or in science and scholarship in general
- preferences or personal experience with a topic.
Read on:
- “How To Identify And Talk To Your Target Audience” by Stony Brook University’s Center for Communicating Science
- "Science for All? Practical Recommendations on Reaching Underserved Audiences" by Christian Humm & Philipp Schrögel
The research communication topics are potentially endless. Three different perspectives lend themselves to the search for a topic. If the focus is on . . .
- the research, you can describe and explain research questions, new insights, publications, and possible applications
- the research process and the people involved, you can introduce the research team and project, give insights into the “engine room,” and communicate your own motivation
- current societal issues, you can show points of contact to your research and classify current debates using your own expertise.
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Having a strategy at the outset will help you go about your activities efficiently and effectively. Key points:
- Content strategy: Determine communication objectives, content, and target groups.
- Format: Depending on the objective, different formats are appropriate for informing the general public, for engaging in dialogwith people outside academia, or for involving members of the public in research processes.
- Medium: There are many possibilities, such as your own podcast, an explanatory video, public lectures and discussion events, and social media.
- Feasibility: How much time and possible financial effort is required for this, and what impact can it be expected to have? Are the two reasonably proportionate?
- Own interests: Last but not least, you should keep your own preferences and strengths in mind when deciding on a communication format.
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- We offer a workshop programme for the first steps in science communication as well as for more in-depth work with individual formats.
- Our funding opportunities help to put concrete project ideas into practice.
- “Quick Guide to Science Communication” by the Science Center of Brown University [PDF]
- “10 Tips for Effective Science Communication”
- Practical guides for science communication by Script
