Communicating with specific audiences

Identify your audience

Your research can have impacts far beyond academia, so it is important to think about these audiences and look for ways to connect with them.

Types of audience

• Government
• Educators
• Practitioners and professionals
• Industry and business
• General public

Connect with your audience

Understanding your audience will shape how you connect with them.

Consider:

• which aspects of your research are most relevant to your specific audience
• what time is best to connect with your audience
• which channels are appropriate (e.g. academic journals, social media platforms, professional networks or industry specific websites)
• how to promote dialogue around your research (e.g. participating in relevant forums, hosting webinars, or initiating collaborations)
• how to measure the attention and interaction your work receives (e.g. tracking downloads, citations and social media engagement)
• what resources are available for your outreach activities (e.g. time and budget)

Sharing your research – Creative Commons Licensing

However you choose to share your research, it is important to be aware of any copyright or licensing conditions placed by publishers.  If the work has not been published previously, you can attach a creative commons licence to it.

Creative commons licences facilitate sharing and reuse of creative content. These licences provide a standardised way to give the public permission to share and use creative work, subject to conditions of the author's choice. For more information see the links below:

• Creative Commons Licences
• Creative Commons Australia
• Creative Commons International
• How to Attribute Creative Commons Material