People say that timing is everything. Getting the word out at just the right time. Waiting until you have the perfect story to share. Capturing your audience at the optimal moment. Sharing research is no different. Knowing when it is the right time to share findings and what to say about the evidence are just a couple of the many critical considerations to be made before putting evidence into practice. Could waiting for the “right time” to share evidence actually limit knowledge sharing, however?
The answer to this question is certainly complex. A major ethical consideration is reflecting on whether there is enough evidence to then put research findings into practice, a consideration which Grimshaw and colleagues (2012; see link here) have written about in detail. Individual research studies on a particular topic or intervention are typically not enough on their own to base practice and policy changes on. Multiple studies on a single topic are typically needed to understand if the effects found in one study hold true in a different context and to show that the same findings can be reproduced – factors that are key to make judgements about things like safety and efficacy. For example, physicians would want to be sure that a new treatment was effective before changing practice guidelines and providing patients with the treatment. There is a large amount of scientific discussion around when and how conclusions can be drawn about whether evidence points to similar findings; however, in essence, key activities to address this include conducting more individual research studies on the topic and eventually, systematically comparing (or “synthesizing”) the findings of multiple studies to evaluate whether something is truly effective. The ethical consideration to make, therefore, is whether the evidence one wishes to share or apply is in line with what syntheses or these large evaluations have to say. In some cases, this means waiting for more research to emerge so this judgement can be made.
Ensuring the evidence that researchers share and put into practice is robust and reliable is extremely important to ensure to health and safety of those who can use the evidence. It is worth noticing, however, that this mainly pertains to when new or emerging evidence can be shared. This brings up an important question: is new evidence the only thing worth sharing when it comes to research? Research is indeed a process that generates knowledge, but is also one that involves reviewing what is already known about a topic, engaging in methods to answer questions, and drawing conclusions about where a field can go next. In other words, research is much more than the end result and there is much that can be learned through the research process that is worth mobilizing. Engaging in knowledge mobilization can include summarizing what is already known about a particular area of research – what have researchers already shown, what are some of the big questions left to be answered, and who is answering these questions? Research methods are another area that are worth sharing with broader academic communities and the general public – how are researchers answering the next big question and what are the potential outcomes? There is even opportunity to share knowledge about logistical elements of the research process – where does funding come from and is it an objective process? Sharing knowledge about any one of these questions would be considered knowledge mobilization and has the potential to familiarize someone either within or outside of a given field with how the area works and what is known about it.
The goal of knowledge mobilization is to create impact. Indeed, there is an essential threshold to reach when it comes to making decisions about how evidence will inform practice, such as those in healthcare (e.g., changing practice guidelines). The field of knowledge mobilization is not limited to only sharing evidence from individual papers or work to meet this end, however. Broadening how we think about knowledge mobilization can create opportunities to share even more information with colleagues and the general public, with the ultimate goal of creating a more aware and engaged society.
