As a PhD scholar, you are an expert in creating knowledge. You’ve spent years identifying a research gap, mastering a methodology, and generating original findings. But once the dissertation is submitted and the paper is published, what happens next? How does your hard-won knowledge move beyond the pages of an academic journal and into the hands of people who can use it?
This process is called Knowledge Translation (KT). It’s the art and science of taking complex academic research and making it understandable, accessible, and usable for a non-academic audience—like policymakers, industry leaders, or the general public.
In today’s world, funding bodies, universities, and “alt-ac” employers are all increasingly focused on one word: impact. Your ability to translate your research is no longer a soft skill; it’s a core competency. Here’s how to think like a market researcher and make your work matter.
Why Is Your Academic Writing Not Enough?
The language of academia is precise, but it’s also a code. It’s designed for communicating with other experts in your field.
- Academia values: Nuance, methodological rigor, and theoretical contribution.
- The Real World values: Actionable insights, clear recommendations, and immediate solutions.
A 30-page journal article explaining the p-values of a complex model is impenetrable to a CEO or a policymaker. They don’t have time to read it, and they don’t speak the language. To have an impact, you must learn to be a translator.
4 Steps to Translating Your Research (The Market Research Way)
At McKinley Research, our entire business is built on knowledge translation. We take complex data and turn it into clear, strategic recommendations for business leaders. You can use our exact framework to amplify your own research.
1. Identify Your “Audience” (Not Just Other Academics)
- Your PhD Mindset: “My audience is the reviewers for X journal and my dissertation committee.”
- The KT Mindset: “Who else could benefit from knowing this?”
- Is your research on supply chains? Your audience is Logistics Managers.
- Is your research on education policy? Your audience is School Administrators or Government Officials.
- Is your research on consumer behavior? Your audience is Brand Managers. Just like in market research, you must first define your “target segment.”
2. Reframe Your “Research Gap” as a “Business Problem”
- Your PhD Language: “The literature has failed to adequately explore the anomie experienced by gig economy workers…”
- The Business Language: “Companies are facing a massive driver-retention crisis. They don’t understand why their workers are so disengaged, and it’s costing them millions.” See the difference? One is a passive academic gap; the other is an active, expensive problem. Frame your research as the solution to that problem.
3. Translate “Findings” into “Actionable Insights”
- Your PhD Language: “The regression analysis showed a statistically significant (p < .05) negative correlation between X and Y.”
- The Business Language: “Our research proves that for every 10% you increase Feature X, your customer churn drops by 15%. This is a 2 million dollar opportunity.” An “insight” is a finding that has a clear “so what?” attached. Always lead with the bottom-line recommendation, then use your data to support it.
4. Choose the Right “Channel” (It’s Not a Journal)
- Your PhD Channel: A 30-page PDF in a subscription-only journal.
- The KT Channel:
- A 2-Page Policy Brief: Simple language, strong visuals, and 3-5 bulleted recommendations.
- A LinkedIn Article or Blog Post: Sharing your key finding in an accessible, storytelling format.
- An Industry Conference Presentation: Speaking the language of the audience, focusing on solutions.
- A White Paper: A detailed report, published by a firm like McKinley Research, that bridges the gap between academic rigor and business strategy.
Your PhD + Translation Skills = A Powerful Career
This ability to bridge the academic and applied worlds is incredibly rare and valuable. It is the core skill of a market researcher and a strategic consultant.
At McKinley Research, we are a firm of expert translators. We live at the intersection of rigorous data analysis and real-world decision-making. We seek out PhD scholars who have this unique “bilingual” ability—who can speak the language of data and the language of business.
Mastering knowledge translation doesn’t just make your current research more impactful; it opens an entirely new and rewarding “alt-ac” career path where your PhD skills are in the highest demand.
