Communicate Your Research
The dissemination of results and outcomes is an essential part of research and scholarship. ORSCE is committed to working with our scholarly community to ensure the full value of research is employed in creating positive change.
We offer workshops, special events and one-on-one consultation with researchers to improve the quantity and quality of scholarly communication and knowledge mobilization. In addition, we host an annual Research and Scholarship Week on campus each spring to celebrate and share the great work of the MRU community.
MRU Joins The Conversation
The ORSCE has some exciting news to share with the Mount Royal community. In June 2023, Mount Royal University was granted membership in The Conversation. The news site, which began operations in 2017, is an outlet for academics and researchers to disseminate their work and spread the word about their research
The Conversation’s writing and publication approach works on two levels. Only current researchers and academics may be the lead authors on articles published in The Conversation. This means that the outlet is committed to high quality, scholarly material that is based on research for social and scientific impact. By having a team of editors carefully working with each author, they can together craft a story that, from a journalistic perspective, will be accessible to all manner of readers.
To assist with knowledge mobilization, all of The Conversation’s works are published under Creative Commons license, meaning that any media outlet can republish the work free of charge to ensure meaningful research reaches as many people as possible.
Publishing in The Conversation:
If you are interested in writing for The Conversation, it is important to know The Conversation receives story pitches and written stories in two ways.
Either an academic pitches a story of their own design via a form on The Conversations website. In order to become eligible for sending in stories, you must first create an account and have your education and work history verified.
The second option is through callouts, where The Conversation already has a story idea, and they contact member institutions to see if any faculty are interested or have expertise in the given topic.
Here is a quick guide on how to write for The Conversation.
As a member of The Conversation, Mount Royal University started receiving callouts in June.
If you wish to become part of the mailing list that receives these callouts, please contact Ethan Ward – eward@mtroyal.ca – in the Office of Research Scholarship and Community Engagement (ORSCE) and he will add you to the mailing list to ensure you have access to story ideas in a timely manner. These are usually sent out twice a week.
MRU in The Conversation:
Below are recent examples of Mount Royal faculty having their work published in The Conversation.
Mount Royal’s institutional page in The Conversation
Biden says the U.S. would have to invent an Israel if it didn’t exist. Why?
Author: M. Muhannad Ayyash
What listening to the soil can tell us about our relationship to the land
Mount Royal Author: Matthew Swallow
As Canada welcomes historic numbers of immigrants, how can communities be more welcoming?
Mount Royal Author: Leah Hamilton
6 ways universities can promote health on campus – and measure progress
Mount Royal Author: Chad London
In the Alberta election stakes are high for 2SLGBTQ+ youth
Mount Royal Author: Leah Hamilton
Knowledge Mobilization Guide
The Knowledge Mobilization Guide can help Mount Royal researchers disseminate their scholarship beyond the academic journal. It provides tips for considering and reaching multiple audiences, using social media effectively, and working with the media. The Guide includes Mount Royal examples and instructions for developing Discovery Snapshots.
Discovery Snapshots
Discovery Snapshots are two-to-four page, highly visual research summaries that translate complex scholarship into clear messages suitable for multiple non-scholarly audiences. The Snapshots are conceptually based on a model first developed at Mount Royal University by Design4Change.
Discovery Snapshots are about ensuring your scholarship has the widest reach and impact. Once completed, the Discovery Snapshots are yours to disseminate via a range of channels to the public, practitioners, organizations, potential funders, students or other audiences.
Some Discovery Snapshot samples:
Book Smarts vs Street Smarts: Do business schools value business experience?
Planting Seeds of Community Inclusion: horticultural therapy group intervention for seniors at MRU
Global Citizenship in a Canadian Context
PORNIFICATION: A Study Into Young Men's Attitudes and Beliefs Toward Dating, Sex and Sexual Assault
CRITICAL READING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: Academic goals and social engagement
Seniors in the Suburbs: Understanding belonging and community connection - together!