Dissemination of research findings in Tanzania: are researchers in compliance with best practices?

Abstract

Despite the critical role of research in development, a gap between research and practice has been reported in literatures. Poor research dissemination has been identified as one of the key factors perpetuating the gap. Thus, this study seeks to find out whether the problem exists in Tanzania too. We carried out a cross-sectional descriptive survey in six selected research institutions in Tanzania to examine their research dissemination practices. The study employed convenience or accidental sampling to select 151 respondents who were handed questionnaires  to fill in, whereby only 86 were returned. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with key informants from each study institutions. The information was supplemented with documentary review. The findings showed that dissemination of research findings in the selected research institution was far from satisfactory. Most researchers did not plan for dissemination properly; there was a serious under-budgeting for research dissemination; there were no special communication cadre (intermediaries) to assist with research dissemination; researchers used limited dissemination—and sometimes inappropriate—channels to reach their target audiences; and a significant number of researchers did not evaluate their dissemination strategies. The study recommends that researchers should include a plan to disseminate research findings in research proposals. Also, research funders should demand an extensive scheme showing how researchers intend to conduct their research and provide more resources and incentives for research dissemination beyond the usual academic channels. In addition, research institutions should consider employing special research communication experts to assist in research dissemination.