Guides: Professional Development for State Employees: Communicate Your Research

Communicate Your Research

What to do next?

Once a conclusion(s) has been reached, one possibility is to publish the results. Sharing information advances our understanding of any given topic. It can also be a public accounting; for say, what a research grant was used for. However, "no single study--whether it rejects or retains some null hypothesis--is sufficient to declare a problem solved" (Experiments in Ecology : Their Logical Design and Interpretation Using Analysis of Variance).

What follows is information on tools that can help organize and share your research.

Or go to step "Refine/Expand, Repeat."

Anything but PowerPoint (recording) PowerPoint has been the go-to presentation tool for years but it’s not your only option. There are many other tools available online for FREE! This class examines PowerPoint alternatives Prezi, Canva, and Genially, while exploring their functions and how they can be used to create vibrant, engaging presentations. By Reference Services.

Free Research Management Tools and Research Networking Platforms

Citation Builder A citation tool built by NCSU Libraries and is based on the following manuals: American Psychological Association 6th edition Modern Language Association 7th edition Modern Language Association 8th edition Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition Council of Science Editors
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Resolver Resolve a DOI name by typing or pasting a DOI name into the text box.
Mendeley Reference Manager Add papers directly from your browser with a few clicks or import any documents from your desktop. Generate references, citations and bibliographies in a whole range of journal styles with just a few clicks.
OCRID ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier (an ORCID iD) that distinguishes you from every other researcher. You can connect your iD with your professional information — affiliations, grants, publications, peer review, and more; ensuring you get recognition for all your contributions, saving you time and hassle, and reducing the risk of errors. Registration is free.
Reference Managers: Part 4 of Researcher's Bootcamp (recording) Learn the functions and uses of the Zotero and Mendeley reference managers and how they can help you organize your research or share with colleagues. By Reference Serives.
ResearchGate Disclaimer: ResearchGate does not vet whether it has a license to host a publication. Access over 135 million publication pages and stay up to date with what's happening in your field. Share your research, collaborate with your peers, and get the support you need to advance your career. Get in-depth stats on who's been reading your work and keep track of your citations.
Zoetero Zotero can help you collect and organize your research any way you want. You can sort items into collections and tag them with keywords, or create saved searches that automatically fill with relevant materials as you work. Zotero creates references and bibliographies and lets you build collaborative bibliographies and share your Zotero libraries.

State Publications Access Program

The State Publications Access Program, established in 181.100-181.110 RSMo, requires all Missouri state agencies to:

send one digital copy of selected reports to the Missouri State Library

Please attach reports to e-mail and send to statepubs@sos.mo.gov.

Or send an e-mail with the URL to statepubs@sos.mo.gov. Please include the publication's URL and title, name and contact information of submitter, and department/division producing the publication in the body of the e-mail.

Large files can also be uploaded to our ShareFile account.

send five paper copies of selected reports to the Missouri State Library

Please send five paper copies of selected reports through interagency mail to:

Missouri State Library, Reference Services, 600 W. Main St. Jefferson City, MO 65101

Paper copies are distributed among the Missouri State Archives, the State Historical Society of Missouri, and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. View the Missouri State Library's print collection of Missouri State Government Documents in our online catalog. To find historical Missouri state documents, please contact the Missouri State Archives.

appoint a designee with the responsibility for distributing selected reports to the Missouri State Library

Each state agency assigns one or more employees as its designees to send selected state documents to the Missouri State Library. Designees are sent a list of publications that the library needs from their department or division. For more information, please contact us at statepubs@sos.mo.gov or 573.751.3615.

Digital reports are added to the library's Internet Archive collection for public access. The collection includes annual, financial, statistical, policy, legislative, commission reports and strategic plans from Missouri state agencies. The collection generally does not include newsletters, brochures, pamphlets, applications, posters, bulletins or news releases. These categories are general and not comprehensive.

The Reference Services division of the Missouri State Library administers the State Publications Access Program. Please contact the Government Documents Librarian with questions at: statepubs@sos.mo.gov or 573.751.3615.

Refine/Expand, Repeat

But this is not the end-point of the research. Now, you may need to revisit your research problem in the context of your findings. Does your previous approach need to be refined? If so, to make more general or more specific? Do more strategies to enhance trustworthiness and rigor need to be adopted?

"Trustworthiness is the term used to describe the soundness or accuracy of a study, and the truth-value or believability of the findings. Rigor is the ability to refer to alternative or competing explanations, and account for irregularities in data" (Reflection on the Methodological Aspects of a Critical Ethnographic Approach used to Inform Change for Adolescents with Disabilities).

You might also investigate the implications of your work and identify new problems.

Regardless, the process then begins anew . . .

Study Quality Assessment Tools
Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research Noble H, Smith JIssues of validity and reliability in qualitative researchEvidence-Based Nursing 2015;18:34-35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/eb-2015-102054

Researcher's Bootcamp Training Archive by Reference Services

Delve into the world of research with the Researcher's Bootcamp. In these sessions you will learn how to create a search string, use reliable research resources, find law and legislation, and use reference managers to keep your research organized. The session order is as follows:

1. Conducting Internet Research Part 1

2. Conducting Internet Research Part 2

3. Finding Laws and Legislation

4. Reference Managers