Those of you involved with community-engaged research may be interested in this new special issue of the Journal of Participatory Research Methods (JPRM) which is entirely focused on participatory dissemination -- the practice of involving community members and partners in deciding how research findings are interpreted, shared, and put into action.
Community-engaged research is based on the idea that researchers and community members should be partners throughout the research process. Communities identify priorities, shape research questions, interpret findings, and guide action. However, the sharing of research findings (dissemination) has received far less attention than other aspects of community-engaged research. Participatory dissemination is viewed, not simply as sharing results after a study ends, but as a collaborative process that can begin early in a project and continue throughout the life of the research. Dissemination of research findings is of particular interest in the growing field of translational science, where a persistent challenge is ensuring that research findings do not stop at publication but instead inform decisions, programs, and action.
This special issue is believed to be the first peer-reviewed collection devoted entirely to participatory dissemination. It explores both the opportunities and challenges of involving communities in dissemination efforts and offers practical examples for researchers, practitioners, and community organizations. It brings together 29 articles from researchers, practitioners, and community partners across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Kenya.
Here is the link to the JPRM press release,
and the link to the special issue itself: https://jprm.scholasticahq.com/issue/13873-vol-7-issue-2-2026
This special issue has been guest edited by me and two of my colleagues in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program, J. Robin Moon (CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy) and Drissa Makan Toure (University of Minnesota School of Public Health). We hope you find it helpful!
Ann
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Ann M. Brearley, PhD
Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Health Data Science
University of Minnesota
brea0022@umn.edu------------------------------