ABSTRACT
An output guide for researchers is under development by The Max Lock Centre of the University of Westminster, London, with support from the UK Department for International Development. The guide is intended to provide UK and other Northern researchers – or ‘knowledge miners’ – with information on ways to make research more inclusive of beneficiaries and to better communicate results. Current experience shows that access to research knowledge is poor, particularly for potential users, limiting its value. The intention is to improve access to knowledge, and establish a route or network to enable target groups to condition and influence the research undertaken in their name. The intended outcome is a two-way flow of information, relevant research and practical solutions (Max Lock Centre, 1999). The output guide will provide prompts to encourage effective communication at each stage of the research process, including checklists on a stage-by-stage basis. The objectives of the guide are to:
• improve the information base for sound decision-making; • increase the penetration and accessibility of existing and new research; • lengthen its active life; • improve the diversity and practicability in use; • promote innovation in the communication process; and • foster needs-led research where the user’s wishes feed into the process from the
outset.
