Research makes the news: Strengthening media engagement with research to influence policy

Research into development issues is not an end in itself. If knowledge created by researchers is shared and debated publicly, it is more likely to be adopted by policymakers and practitioners. Too many research reports sit on library shelves gathering dust. Today there is growing recognition of the importance of communicating research findings. The 2008 Research Strategy of the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) states that the 'critical issue for the future is how to improve researchers' effectiveness in producing outputs that directly and indirectly change both policy and practice, are truly relevant to poor people's needs, and are effectively taken up'. The strategy commits DFID to devoting a greater proportion of its resources to promoting the use and uptake of research in order to influence policy