A Comprehensive Library of Community-Engaged Research Resources - Plan Stage

Guidance for the Share Stage of CEnR

The share stage communicates research findings in ways that are accessible, meaningful, and useful. At this stage, researchers and community partners work together to decide who the findings should reach, how to present them, and how they can be used to support change. Sharing is not just about reporting results; rather, it is about honoring contributions, supporting action, and making information available to those who are most affected. This stage includes the following:

• Choose audiences to share findings with: Identify key groups who can benefit from or act on the findings, based on shared goals and community priorities.
• Decide how to share findings: Select formats and strategies that meet audience needs, support accessibility, and reflect community values and communication styles.
• Develop materials to share findings: Create materials together, gather community feedback, and discuss how to acknowledge authorship and contributions.
• Turn findings into action: Use the findings to inform next steps, such as advocacy, policy change, programming, or future research.

Approaching sharing as a joint process ensures that findings are not only understood but also used to support the research’s intended impact.

Choose Audiences to Share Findings With

In CEnR, identifying your audiences is a shared process. Researchers and community partners work together to decide who needs to know about the research findings and how they might use them. These conversations should focus on questions such as the following:

• Who was involved in the research?
• Who could be directly impacted by the findings?
• Who has power or influence to make changes based on what you learned?
• Who could use this information to advocate, organize, or deliver services?

Together, you might identify audiences such as:

• Community members or participants
• Families, youth, or elders
• Neighborhood leaders or organizers
• Service providers or nonprofits
• School, health, or city officials
• Tribal, local, state, or federal policymakers
• Funders and other researchers

When partners choose audiences together, they can prioritize what information is shared and ensure that findings are used—not just published.

Decide How to Share Findings

Once you have identified your audiences, the next step is to decide on formats and strategies for presenting findings that are accessible, engaging, and community-centered. Community partners can help guide which formats and platforms work best, based on what is familiar, trusted, and easy to access.

Together, consider sharing through:

• Community forums, town halls, or talking circles
• Printed materials such as infographics, fact sheets, or bilingual newsletters
• Social media campaigns or short videos
• Local radio, newspapers, or podcasts
• Academic publications, policy briefs, or funder reports

Also think about how you will present your findings. Co-presenting with community partners, whether at a local event or national conference, centers their expertise and builds trust and credibility. The more you tailor your sharing strategy to the community’s needs and preferences, the more likely your findings will be heard, understood, and used.

Develop Materials to Share Findings

Materials should reflect the community’s voice and credit everyone who contributed to the research. How you develop these materials depends on the level of community engagement throughout the project:

• In informed or consulted projects, community partners may review and give feedback on materials.
• In involved or collaborative projects, they may help design and write materials.
• In empowered projects, they may take the lead in writing materials.

Regardless of your approach, keep these principles in mind to make materials clear and community-centered:

• Include community photos, quotes, or stories with permission.
• Highlight strengths in the data, not just challenges.
• Focus on what the community said, not just what the data shows.
• Use plain language and visuals where possible.
• Translate materials into languages spoken in the community.
• Make sure digital materials follow Section 508 accessibility standards, including screen reader-friendly PDFs, captions for videos, and image descriptions.

Collect feedback from community partners prior to finalizing materials.

Before finalizing anything, be sure to ask for feedback from community partners:

• Does this make sense?
• Is anything missing?
• Does this reflect your experience?
• Would this be helpful to someone in your community?

You can gather feedback through informal conversations, focus groups, or short surveys. Be open to making changes based on what you hear.

Discuss authorship and credit prior to developing materials.

Another important part of developing materials is recognizing authorship and credit. Talk early and openly about the following:

• Who should be listed as authors on reports, presentations, or journal articles
• How to credit artists, designers, translators, or community facilitators
• What kind of recognition feels meaningful and respectful to each partner

Not everyone will want formal authorship. Some may prefer to be acknowledged in a flyer, video, or project celebration. The key is to ask, not assume.

Turn Findings Into Action

Sharing findings is not just about telling people what happened. It is also about helping the community use the findings to create change. After sharing, check in with your partners to ask:

• What do you want to do with this information?
• What changes do you want to see?
• What is possible now, and who needs to be involved?

From there, you might work together to do the following:

• Present findings to local leaders.
• Use the data to support a new or existing program.
• Start a community campaign or awareness effort.
• Develop a policy recommendation or grant proposal.
• Host a workshop to build new skills or knowledge.

As you take action, stay in touch and keep checking in:

• Are the findings being used?
• Do partners need support or resources?
• Are there barriers, or is there momentum you can build on?

Action does not always happen all at once. Even starting the conversation can be a meaningful step. Celebrate small wins and keep showing up so that the findings continue to guide and support lasting change.

Wrap Up

The share stage turns findings into tools for communication, reflection, and action. Sharing results in ways that are accessible, accurate, and meaningful helps ensure that research reaches the people who can use it. In CEnR, partners should shape what is shared, how it is shared, and with whom. The level of engagement may vary, but all CEnR projects should create space for collaborative decision making and recognition during this stage. Key activities during share include the following:

• Identify key audiences in partnership with community partners.
• Choose formats and strategies that reflect community preferences and accessibility needs.
• Develop materials that center community experiences, use plain language, and highlight strengths.
• Invite feedback before finalizing materials to ensure clarity and relevance.
• Co-present findings to amplify community voice and support shared ownership.
• Plan for how findings can be used to support local efforts, policy change, or new action.

By approaching the share stage as a joint process, research teams help build ownership, spark change, and ensure that findings do not stay on paper, but move into the real world where they can make a difference.

Share Resources

These resources provide practical tools and insights to support your work during the share stage of your CEnR project. Resources are organized by project, with each project labeled according to where it generally falls on the CEnR spectrum. This structure helps you quickly identify relevant examples and guidance that align with your approach.