The Publish, Tell, Show (PTS) Framework for Effective Research Communication: A Step-by-Step Approach to Maximising Societal Impact in Tanzania

Abstract

Research is vital for Tanzania's development and societal change; yet research findings often remain uncommunicated, hindering their translation into practical policies and socio- economic actions. To address this challenge, the authors of this paper propose the adoption of a novel approach: The Publish, Tell and Show (PTS) Framework for Effective Research Communication, which defines effective research communication as an intentional, sequential and non-negotiable completion of a three-phase process: Publish, Tell, and Show in research dissemination. The framework aims to shift researchers’ mindset to include communication as a core part of the research process, beyond traditional academic publishing. The PTS framework is the authors’ own creation; an all-inclusive roadmap for greater and purposeful visibility for researchers; from establishing academic strength of the research findings ("Publish") to increasing awareness ("Tell") and finally to achieving real-world impact ("Show"). To claim to have communicated research findings effectively, a researcher must successfully complete the PTS process. Despite being at conceptual stage, it has the potential to become a benchmark model for assessing progress from traditional dissemination to real- world impact. Further research is recommended to evaluate its scalability into a model, adaptability within Tanzania’s research ecosystem and academia, and relevance in evolving Science Communication landscape and digital media