The following resource was developed by RESYST for a research uptake and digital communications workshop held in Bangkok, Thailand. In this resource: - Understand the importance of strategic planning for research uptake and digital communications - Develop digital communications objectives for your research group, project or organisation - Identify key stakeholders using stakeholder analysis techniques - Review digital communications content, platforms and tools - Explore indicators and tools for monitoring and evaluation - Develop key messages from a journal article Find more: http://resyst.lshtm.ac.uk/resources/resource-bank-research-uptake

1. Research uptake and digital
communications
Becky Wolfe and Sephy Valuks
11-13 February 2018
Bangkok, Thailand
http://resyst.lshtm.ac.uk
@RESYSTresearch

2. About the workshop - agenda
DAY 1: Developing a research uptake/communications strategy
• Digital communications objectives
• How to identify and reach online stakeholders
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Developing key messages
DAY 2: Writing for the web
• Introduction to writing for the web
• How to turn a journal article into a blog
• Charts and infographics
• Photos and images
DAY 3: Social media
• How to communicate research through social media
• Creating a social media pack

3. About the workshop - approach
Session outline:
• Brief overview of concepts, examples from RESYST and other websites
• Shared experiences
• Practical activities that draw on your own work experiences of a
research project or programme
Activities work towards producing:
• Digital communications strategy – objectives, audiences,
communications channels
• Key messages
• A blog
• A data visualisation, photo for the blog
• Social media content including tweets

4. Self introductions
2 minutes
• Name
• Area of work
• What communications challenges do you face in your work?
• What do you hope to get out of this workshop?

5. DAY 1: Objectives
• Understand the importance of strategic planning for research
uptake and digital communications
• Develop digital communications objectives for your research
group, project or organisation
• Identify key stakeholders using stakeholder analysis techniques
• Review digital communications content, platforms and tools
• Explore indicators and tools for monitoring and evaluation
• Develop key messages from a journal article

6. What is research
uptake?

7. What is research uptake?
Monitoring &
evaluation
Engagement
Collaboration
Capacity
building
Communication
DFID: “All activities that facilitate and contribute to the use of research
evidence by policy-makers, practitioners and other development actors”

8. What is research uptake?

9. Strategic planning for research uptake
• A structured approach towards achieving specific objectives
• Objectives are based on the organisation or project goals
• Involves communications specialists, researchers, project
managers
• Requires engaging with stakeholders at every step of the project –
from the before the research to after the research is completed

10. Stages of a research uptake strategy

12. Why is a strategic approach important?
• It ensures greater impact – every product, activity, interaction
counts towards the goal
• Activities are pro-active rather than re-active
• Focus on key stakeholders leads to appropriate channels of
communication, targeted messaging
• More efficient and cost effective
• Easier to monitor and evaluate activities that are planned and
organised

13. Digital communications as part of RU strategy
Monitoring &
evaluation
Engagement
Collaboration
Communication
Capacity
building
Mobile
Social media
Website
Email

14. Stage 1: Objectives
• What do you want to
achieve?
• What do you want
people to do differently
(think, act, design or
implement policies) as
a result of your actions?

15. RESYST example
Overarching goal: Research contributes to policy and management changes
that enhance the resilience and responsiveness of health systems in low and
middle income countries.
Digital communications objectives
RESYST aims to use digital channels as an effective way to:
1. Disseminate: Make research outputs accessible and available to
stakeholders through online pathways
2. Engage: Strengthen relationships and build new partnerships with
global stakeholders working on health systems issues through active
participation in online discussions, communities and networks
3. Raise profile: Develop researchers’ reputations as trusted and credible
source of evidence and authoritative voice

16. Some more examples
• Build awareness and understanding of a research project
• Strengthen internal communication
• Inform and engage stakeholders (in real-time conversations)
• Change perceptions around a specific issue
• Create a network of people and groups for a specific issue
• Be recognised as a leading voice in the field
• Website is trusted, acceptable, authoratitive source of
information

17. Activity
• Work in small groups to identify communications objectives for
your research project or for IHPP
• What is the overarching goal of the project/organisation?
• What do you want to achieve through digital communications?
GOAL
• Objective 1
• Objective 2
• Objective 3

18. Research uptake objectives
Objectives should be:
S Specific
M Measurable
A Achievable
R Realistic (within timeframe, budget, resources)
T Timely

19. How to identify and reach online
audiences
Becky Wolfe and Sephy Valuks
11-13 February 2018
Bangkok, Thailand
http://resyst.lshtm.ac.uk
@RESYSTresearch

20. STEP 2: Stakeholders
• Who are you trying to
reach?
• Who influences
them?
• When should you
engage with
stakeholders?

21. Stakeholder analysis
Stakeholder analysis:
Process of identifying who the key stakeholders are
• Brainstorming and mapping techniques to:
• Analyse how much interest in and influence over the project
they have
• Identify links and relationships between stakeholders
• Prioritise stakeholders

22. Why is stakeholder analysis important?
• Creates a shared understanding of the people who can impact on
your success
• Is a vital step in determining the right approaches and
communications channels
• Identifies potential risks from negative stakeholders
• Prioritises stakeholders so the appropriate amount of resources
can be assigned and the right strategy is applied

23. Steps
Identify
Categorise
Prioritise
• Brainstorm and list stakeholders
Map • By interest and power
Link • Visualise relationships between
stakeholders
• Group stakeholders by type
• Identify the most important
stakeholders

24. Interest/power matrix
Engage closely
and influence
actively
Power
Interest
High
High
Low
Low
Keep informed
Keep satisfied
Monitor
(minimum effort)

25. Links - mapping relationships
Issue
networks,
e.g HSG
Professional
associationsCivil society
groups
Media
National
policy
makers
WHO
GATES
foundation
& donors
Power
Interest

26. Prioritise stakeholders
Primary stakeholder
(Directly affect
outcomes)
Secondary stakeholder
(Influence primary
stakeholders)
• National
policymakers
• WHO
• Media

27. Activity: stakeholder analysis
Small groups, 40 minutes
Identify the main stakeholders of the research project
1. Brainstorm, list and group stakeholders, focusing on groups that
you aim to reach through the website
2. Analyse their interest and power in relation to the project
3. Map out the relationships and links between stakeholders
4. Identify key primary and secondary stakeholders

28. Communication channels
• What communication
channels, outputs and
activities are most effective
in reaching your
stakeholders?
• What mix works for you and
your organisation?
• How will you plan the work?
– responsibilities, timing,
budget

29. Main delivery channels
Publications Online
Media Events

30. Website • Information about the project, publications
• Blog, op-eds, news stories
• Relevant (frequent updates),
• Should be user friendly
Emailed
newsletter
• Announce past, current, future activties
• Hyperlinks to further detail
• General audience
Social media
& networks
• Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
• Short, direct, links, hashtags, images
• Micro-blogging
Webinar • Online seminars, use online tools to enable
participation
• Access to internet
Online

31. Video (YouTube) • Stories from the research, ‘talkingheads’,
mini-documentaries
• Broad and diverse audience
• Low-cost videos using smartphone
Prezi • Animation tool for presentations
• Dynamic output for websites and
conferences
• Grab and direct audience attention
Photo stories • Visual story telling
• Provide narrative context
• Showcase photography outputs
Podcast • Audio recordings
• Can be produced alongside video
• Short and clear – 30 seconds-3 minutes
• National and local radio stations
Online

32. Infographics
• Visual information to explain
complex data or concepts, e.g.
global health trends
• Interactive visualisations
enable users to search through
large data sets themselves
• Benefits for smaller-scale
research – understand and
communicate information

33. Infographics

34. Animations
• Animations guide
the viewer through a
clear narrative
• Accessible and
unique way of
illustrating and
sharing complex
ideas, concepts or
research findings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_conti
nue=4&v=Rgw7muwkGWo

35. Animations
• https://youtu.be/ZEBCTxDUUmY
• Short animated infographics work well on social media as GIFs

36. Videos with text over
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_co
ntinue=2&v=2CGPWg_uE_Y
• Highlight key
points
• Hold audience
attention

37. Embedded videos
• Publication (brief,
poster, graphic)
contains short video
clips
• Useful as a teaching
resource
• Case-studies,
researchers providing
more detail
http://resyst.lshtm.ac.uk/sites/resyst.lshtm.ac.uk/files/W
eb_Ethical%20challenges%20in%20conducting%20em
bedded%20long%20term%20research.pdf

38. Communications mix
• Communications mix is crucial – using a combination of channels
is more effective than one campaign.
• Appropriate mix depends on:
Ø Objective – e.g. raise awareness, advocacy, mobilisation
Ø Audience - literacy, preferred information sources
Ø Social environment: available media, cultural context
Ø Available resources and skills
• Mix that works for you and the organisation

39. Activity
• Identify digital outputs and activities to reach your key audiences
• What is feasible for you and the organisation to deliver?

40. Workplan
How will the activities be carried out?
Detailed information about:
• Who is responsible for the activity
• Whether or not they require
support
• Date it should be completed by
• Budget
• What is the evidence that the
activity has taken place

41. Monitoring and evaluation
Becky Wolfe and Sephy Valuks
11-13 February 2018
Bangkok, Thailand
http://resyst.lshtm.ac.uk
@RESYSTresearch

42. STEP 5: Monitoring and evaluation
• How can you measure
success (or otherwise)
in research uptake and
communications
efforts?
• What online tools are
available to collect
data?

43. What is monitoring and evaluation?
Monitoring:
Ø Routine, ongoing collection of information about a project or
programme
Ø Indicators to measure and report on performance
Evaluation:
Ø Periodic, retrospective assessment of a project to provide useful
feedback (internal or external by independent evaluators)

44. Why evaluate research uptake activities?
• To improve future efforts
• Provides information to help assess the effectiveness of the research
uptake strategy and activities, and amend it accordingly.
• Ensures accountability
• To project members/supporters, stakeholders, funders
• Formal requirement from funders
• Research projects are required to report on more than just outputs,
but also on the impacts of the research beyond academia

45. RESYST approach
Quantitative indicators
Qualitative indicators

46. Measuring outputs
Are outputs appropriate, accessible and of high quality?
• Number of unique website users
• Number of downloads, SlideShare / YouTube views
• Disaggregated by country
• Number of article views and downloads from journal website
• Online media coverage

47. Measuring uptake
Was the work shared and passed on to others?
• Number of citations in research articles and reports (proxy for
research quality)
• Social network mentions
• Comments on blogs
• Subscriptions to newsletter
• Number of webinar attendees

48. Measuring influence
Did the work contribute to change in policy or practice?
• Citation or reference in policy document
• Reference in guidelines
• Details of participation in advisory committees
• Details of specific engagements with key stakeholders
• Testimonials /emails from stakeholders

49. Qualitative indicators
• Short narratives to describe the contribution of the research to
policy/practice
• Stories of change from researchers (impact stories)
• Case-studies about impact pathways (what led to change)
• Interviews with stakeholders
• Review of supporting evidence
• Timeline mapping changes in policy, research uptake activities,
and changes in behaviour of key stakeholders (RAPID Outcome
Assessment)

50. Online tools to collect data
Google analytics
Mailchimp
Google Scholar
Bitly Altmetric
Journal metrics

51. Altmetric
• Non-traditional
sources
• Trace research
impact
• Understand research
reception and uses
• Complimentary to
citation based
analysis
Download free bookmarklet from Altmetric.it

52. Altmetric

53. Altmetric

54. Activity – getting familiar with Altmetric
• Good Health at Low Cost 25 years on: lessons for the future of health systems
strengthening. The Lancet, 2013
• The Millenium Development Goals: a cross-sectoral analysis and principles for goal
setting after 2015. Lancet and LIDC, 2010
• Human resources for health and universal health coverage: fostering equity and
effective coverage. Bulletin of the World Health Organisation, 2013
• Promoting universal financial protection: how the Thai universal coverage scheme
was designed to ensure equity. Health Research Policy and Systems, 2012
• 30 years after Alma-Ata: has primary health care worked in countries? Lancet,
2008