What are effective strategies for communicating library research results?

1 Choose the right format

Depending on your purpose, audience, and context, you may need to communicate your library research results in different formats, such as reports, posters, presentations, podcasts, blogs, or infographics. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, and you should consider factors such as the length, scope, depth, and style of your content, as well as the availability and accessibility of the medium. For example, a report may allow you to provide more details and references, but a poster may be more effective for attracting attention and summarizing key points.

2 Know your audience

Another important strategy for communicating library research results is to know your audience and tailor your message accordingly. You should consider who your audience is, what they already know, what they need to know, what they expect, and what they value. You should also use appropriate language, tone, and terminology for your audience, and avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical terms that may confuse or alienate them. For example, if you are communicating with a general public audience, you may want to use simple and relatable words, examples, and analogies, but if you are communicating with a scholarly audience, you may want to use more formal and precise language and cite relevant sources.

3 Craft a clear message

A clear message is essential for communicating library research results effectively. You should have a main idea or argument that you want to convey to your audience, and support it with evidence and logic. You should also organize your content in a logical and coherent way, and use transitions and signposts to guide your audience through your message. You should also avoid unnecessary or irrelevant information that may distract or confuse your audience. For example, you may want to use the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) structure for a report, or the PICO (Problem, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome) framework for a poster.

4 Use visual aids and storytelling techniques

Visual aids and storytelling techniques can enhance your communication of library research results by making them more attractive, memorable, and persuasive. Visual aids, such as graphs, charts, tables, images, or videos, can help you illustrate your data, highlight trends, patterns, or relationships, and emphasize key points. However, you should also make sure that your visual aids are clear, accurate, relevant, and consistent with your message, and that you provide captions, labels, and sources for them. Storytelling techniques, such as anecdotes, metaphors, scenarios, or narratives, can help you connect with your audience emotionally, create interest and curiosity, and illustrate the implications or applications of your results. However, you should also make sure that your stories are relevant, credible, and ethical, and that you do not compromise the accuracy or objectivity of your results.

5 Follow ethical and professional standards

Finally, you should follow ethical and professional standards when communicating library research results, as they reflect your integrity, credibility, and responsibility as a researcher or librarian. You should respect the intellectual property and privacy rights of others, and acknowledge and cite your sources properly. You should also avoid plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of your results, and disclose any conflicts of interest or limitations of your research. You should also adhere to the ethical codes and guidelines of your discipline, institution, or organization, and seek informed consent and approval from any participants or stakeholders involved in your research.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?