Formulate a Question > Find the Evidence > Appraise the Evidence > Apply the Evidence > Evaluate the Results > Disseminate the Research
In this unofficial step, the evidence based practitioner prepares the research for dissemination (if the generation of evidence was part of the preceeding process). Crumley and Koufogiannakis state that "perhaps the largest obstacle in finding library research is that librarians generally do not publish their research" (2002, 69). The evidence base must be fleshed out. It is possible that public librarians do more research than they realize. In addition to using the results to inform decision making, it would be useful if some time were built into the public librarian's work schedule to write up the research for publication, or other dissemination methods. Journals which focus on library and information studies are keen to receive submissions. As well, publishing in open access journals will ensure that the research done by one library will be accessible by other libraries. Other methods of dissemination are described below. Building the evidence base is an important aspect of EBL.
For example, suppose, in your quest to discover the costs and benefits of self-checkout machines, you were unable to uncover any comprehensive research or systematic reviews on the topic. Instead, you found yourself conducting your own exhaustive survey of research and reports from both the retail and library sectors. Wouldn't this be useful information to share with other librarians? By disseminating the results of your review of the literature, you might be saving others time and energy.
Considerations of Effective Dissemination
- Easily understood--accessible language and format
- Easily accessible--publishing in open access journals can facilitate wide use of research data
- Using multiple forums--Crumley and Koufogiannakis outline several different means of dissemination (Evidence Based Practice for Information Professionals: a handbook. Chapter 12, P. 140 table 12.1)
| Category | Dissemination Methods |
| Education/Professional Development | Workshop, continuing education, conference, training, journal club, discussion group |
| Management/policy | Organizational policy/guideline, meeting |
| Publication | Publishing/writing, internet, electronic vs. print |
| Personal Communication | Word of mouth, focus group, leadership, reading, sharing articles, e-mail, list-serv, networking, mentoring |
The dissemination of research contributes to the hopefully infinite loop of finding, using, and generating LIS evidence.
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