Module 6 - Dissemination
Overview | Who? Audience | How? Methods | Who-How-What | Proposal Steps | Resources
How? Methods
How? Methods of Dissemination
Online Presence
Website | Webpage
A website (or a webpage on an existing website if that is an option for you) can be a great way to share your work. Keep in mind that dissemination often costs money and should be included in your budget. For example, a website costs money to host, build, and maintain. Research the costs of tools and calculate the cost of team members time to include in your proposed budget.
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*does not apply to a webpage on an existing website.
Target Audience: not specified
Budget Implications
Dissemination often costs money and should be included in your budget. For example, a website costs money to host, build, and maintain. Research the costs of tools and calculate the cost of team members time to include in your proposed budget.
Social Media
The advantage to social media is that your audience is likely already spending time on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn. So you are bringing your content to them. Social media is also a useful mechanism for driving people to your website or webpage, if you have one.
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Note that if you decide not to create a social media presence for your project, you can still use social media to get the word out about your work by leveraging STELAR or your organization’s existing social media presences. Craft posts or Tweets about your work and ask STELAR and/or your organization to share it, when you have news or findings to disseminate.
Target Audience: dependent on outreach
STELAR | NSF | Other Communities
As mentioned above, projects can and should leverage networks and communities to share their work. As a STELAR project, a page on the STELAR website is created for you, which you can update and add resources to. STELAR can also help disseminate your work via social media and newsletters. Organizations, such as universities and nonprofits, are often looking for news to share. And existing communities (for example, the National Science Teachers Association) can be a great way to spread the word to appropriate target audiences.
Target Audience: dependent on outreach
Blogs
A blog can be an informal tool for reporting on your work and sharing products and/or findings.
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Note that if you don’t want to set up a blog site and/or know you won’t be able to consistently write blogs, another option is to guest write a blog. Usually, this involves contacting a blog owner, describing your research/background and potential blog topic, and giving them a sample of your writing. It may require contacting several blog owners until you find one interested in including your work.
Target Audience: dependent on outreach
Written Pieces
Journal Articles | Book Chapters
As mentioned in the solicitation, NSF-funded projects are expected to publish papers in peer-reviewed or practitioner journals. To make the most of your dissemination, it is helpful to identify potential journals early on (and keep their deadlines in mind when planning out your article). Target Audience: researchers & developers
Newspaper Articles | Press Releases
A press release is a great way to generate interest in your work. Draft a press release and send it directly to media outlets and/or your organization’s communications department. Ask your communications department for advice on who in the media to contact, if you don’t know who to approach. Press releases can often lead to additional newspaper articles. Target Audience: dependent on outreach
White Paper | Policy Briefs | Report
Depending on your project, a report, white paper or policy brief may be an appropriate way to disseminate research findings.
Target Audience: policymakers, administrators, and/or researchers
Presentations
Workshop | Conference Presentations
Most NSF-funded projects present at workshops and/or conferences during the life of the project. STELAR projects should plan on attending bi-annual PI meetings. Session proposals are often due a year in advance of the conference, so it is important to identify potential conferences early on and make note of any deadlines. At some conferences, you may present a poster rather than a session presentation.
Target Audience: researchers & developers and/or practitioners, administrators and/or district leaders
Webinars
A webinar is another way to present your work. Your project could host a webinar (if you have access to a webinar platform) or you could volunteer to present in a webinar hosted by someone else. STELAR hosts webinars throughout the year and is open to topic suggestions.
Target Audience: dependent on outreach
Media
Video | Podcasts
Video can be a powerful way to tell a story about your work. Create a video to share on social media, post on a website. If visuals are not important, consider creating a podcast.
Target Audience: dependent on outreach
TV | Radio
TV and radio are less common dissemination strategies since they usually require a reporter or someone in the media reaching out to you about a potential interview or story.
Target Audience: not specified
Using what you’ve read and answered above, continue on to the next section to determine the right dissemination methods for your project, its findings and its products.