Tons of fascinating research findings get published in academic journals. But how much of them are really translated into practice and sustainably implemented?

In order for science to be valuable it needs to be used: in the short run possibly as a stepping stone for new research but ultimately it needs to change something in real life.

I don’t think we optimally use the knowledge we gather about trauma recovery and other mental health issues for the public good. Nor in other disciplines for that matter. As an indication, many universities only stimulate academic output. Publications in professional outlets, popular science magazines, blogs, or policy documents are not ‘counted’ for performance reviews. I even know of institutional boards that state publications under Impact Factor 2 – an academic publication metric, only a few peer-reviewed psychology journals reach this level – should be considered ‘weak’ (and should therefore not be registered on employees’ publication records!).

As a result, there is a gap between research and real life that desperately needs a bridge. Continue reading →