How Data and Publishing Intersect for Public Health Researchers A Conversation Around Broad Definitions of Dissemination Shanda hunt + Caitlin bakker Ithaka S + R Study Seven Participating Institutions Johns Hopkins University University of Alabama University of Arizona University of Illinois University of Iowa University of Minnesota University of Washington University of Minnesota Team Shanda Hunt, MPH Public Health Librarian Data Curation Specialist Caitlin Bakker, MLIS Research Services Librarian Medical School Librarian Public Health “The combination of science, skill and beliefs that is directed to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all people through collective and social action.” Inherently Interdisciplinary Last JM, Spasoff RA, Harris SS. A dictionary of epidemiology. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2001. UMN School of Public Health One of the first public health programs offered in the United States Ranked 8th in the nation Four divisions: Biostatistics Environmental Health Sciences Epidemiology & Community Health Health Policy & Management Recruitment Obtained list of faculty from SPH website Sort: Division + Alphabetical Email script First 20 on each division’s list (80 invites) 24 participants Analysis Transcripts created by VerbalInk NVivo 11 Pro Independently coded by 2 coders Grounded theory approach Findings Data management was an afterthought Some misunderstanding of the publication industry Dissemination in many forms highly valued Communicating public health to the public was becoming more recognized as a priority Data Management was an Afterthought “Cause I've looked at, say, my old codes for data analysis, and I had a lot of comments on there, ‘This is what this line does,’ and so on and so forth. But even still, when I go through it, it was just, I don't know what I did.” “[I]t's very hard to keep up with where those datasets are and whether you've shared them with people who might still have them. And even if it's requested to get it back, did they respond to your email? Did you follow up?” Several “data fail” stories shared with us Data inaccessible bc stored on zip or floppy discs Not sure how to re-run old analysis due to poor annotation Unsure of who the data was shared with and if it was returned   Lack of forethought and organization leading to frustration/unpreparedness In-house data managers becoming a thing of the past Current confusion around NIH's definition of clinical trials introduces new data management requirements for researchers who previously haven’t engaged with this topic   Attitudes toward data sharing: Understand that may be mandated in some cases - human subjects and privacy Often led by another member of the team who is more devoted to the concept Historical researcher fear (“data parasites”) vs thoughtfulness around population being studied   Concerns centered on: Data ownership in a collaborative (especially international work and policy affecting) Public harm - misinterpretation of data, exposure of vulnerable populations (e.g., indigenous communities)   Recognizing change in expectations around data management Showed a strong desire to learn more   “...people are looking for efficiencies and methods that will be the best, good business practice so that you won’t lose things, so that the things that you need to interpret will be in the dataset…” Misunderstanding of the Publication Industry “[W]hen journals start charging you to publish your work, I just feel like there’s a commercialism aspect to it that I feel runs counter to...the system in which we do research. Almost all of our research is externally funded…. And I don’t like it if people suddenly start trying to make money off that. I don’t know that it’s a good use of taxpayer money, to be able to pay publishers to put my work out there when there are options to not do that.” Equated open access publishing with predatory practices in a lot of cases Almost all had published open access, but it was due to a colleague decision   Deterred by article processing charges (APCs), describing them as “insulting” and “hilarious”   Another participant - societies journals make their money from membership fees   P and T a huge consideration Menial work involved in the publishing process Formatting Lengthy turnaround times Concerns about documenting data for sharing sometimes reflected a similar tone Dissemination in Many Forms Highly Valued "We write reports for community members that are readable by community members all the time, and interviews with local American Indian-based periodicals, and other media, radio. [These are] identified by community members, by our community partners. I do feel it’s really important to have those outlets because that’s one important way for the information to get out to community members." Because the end goal of public health research is to better the health of the public, they were experienced in disseminating results in a variety of ways and to many audiences. Wanted to move beyond dissemination to knowledge mobilization.   This particular quote was from a researcher who did CBPR   Most spoke about disseminating to other researchers at conferences and seminars   Identified three emerging avenues through which to disseminate their work to broader audiences: Data sharing Social media Data visualization   Data Sharing: Tentative curiosity Looking for ways to tackle their fears in this area – i.e., maintain some form of control   Social Media: Thought of social media as self promotion = distasteful Did not think of it as research dissemination Still intrigued, worried about who might manage such a campaign   Data Visualization: Participants wanted to be able to “tell a story” in a few images Easily understood and interpreted Spectrum of comfort with this concept Worried about misinterpretation and loss of meaning Concern about the necessary expertise (e.g., graphic design) and the number of tools potentially involved Communicating Public Health to the Public was Becoming More Recognized as a Priority “I think we could be more intentional about how we engage with members of the community, broadly defined – not just individuals and families, but organizations, nonprofit organizations, departments of health, industries – in how we set research agendas, so that what we're doing is going to actually be viewed as valuable by stakeholders within the broader community.” Feel public health is misunderstood (manifests as an absence of illness) Barrier to uptake of evidence-based recommendations, interventions, and policies   Feel it is their responsibility to change that   Barriers: Cost Lack of clear communication mechanism Lack of training in knowledge translation activities Potential for misinterpretation   Opportunities: Educate the public on how research agendas are set Highlight the cost effectiveness of research Include community members as active participants in research Summary Creative population in terms of dissemination Open to new platforms for dissemination Clear opportunities for education Data and publishing intersect in many ways, but particularly when researchers are looking for ways to communicate their work to the public Recommendations for Library Science Better their data management skills to improve incidents of data reuse or sharing Reframe datasets as a research output which can be cited and considered in the P&T process Articulate the complexity of the publishing industry to highlight the necessity of open science Recommendations for Library Science Encourage open access publishing as one strategy for communicating with the public, which includes public health practitioners Encourage them to leverage social media and data visualizations – as publishing alternatives or enhancements – to communicate with the public Ensure they know how to maintain control over their outputs through embargoes, restricted access, and licensing Research Outputs “A Qualitative Analysis of the Information Science Needs of Public Health Researchers in an Academic Setting” – Manuscript to be published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association, April 2018 “Supporting the Changing Research Practices of Public Health Scholars” - Ithaka S+R multi-institutional report, December 2017 Thank You Shanda Hunt hunt0081@umn.edu UMN Experts Profile Caitlin Bakker cjbakker@umn.edu UMN Experts Profile