Wide Range of Related Terms

Knowledge Exchange, as an emerging and growing field, follows similar patterns to other areas of work which are growing and in the process of defining themselves. In the search for meaning, it is normal that many terms are used to define related activities and functions. Over time and with utilization, the terms seem to fall into place and a collective understanding emerges.` Often a leader emerges that helps to clarify the most acceptable meaning. This was the case with Etienne Wenger and Communities of Practice.

A recent study by sociologist Dr. Ian Graham and research program manager Jacqueline Tetroe at the OHRI in Ottawa, identified 27 terms in current usage by an international sample of funding agencies to describe their knowledge exchange mechanisms. Their study concluded that this is a time of rapid evolution for agencies funding knowledge exchange activities. It also noted that despite a wide range of strategies, little is yet known about their effectiveness. Some of the best work to date however has come from the fields of business intelligence research and health research. Both fields have invested millions of dollars in KE experiments, with important lessons emerging about the paradox of the simplicity and complexity of the processes involved.

1. Applied research
2. Knowledge cycle
3. Research mediation
4. Capacity building
5. Knowledge exchange
6. Research transfer
7. Co-optation, cooperation, competing
8. Knowledge management
9. Research translation
10. Diffusion
11. Knowledge translation
12. Science communication
13. Dissemination
14. Knowledge mobilization
15. Teaching
16. Getting knowledge into practice
17. Knowledge transfer
18. "Third mission"
19. Impact
20. Linkage and exchange
21. Translational research
22. Implementation
23. Popularization of research
24. Transmission
25. Knowledge communication
26. Research into practice
27. Utilization