Research on Research Use - Building Theory, Empirical Evidence, and a Global Field

Oct 15, 2026

Explores the research field on research use by tracing how evidence is connected to policy and practice. Frames research use as a complex process shaped by theories, conditions, and institutional contexts rather than a single rational decision. Reviews early descriptive studies that documented what research use looks like and why it varies, then summarizes how later work emphasized routine organizational capacity and non-linear decision-making. Concludes with future reflections supported by global funder collaborations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Research on Research Use

Building Theory and Empirical Evidence

Descriptive Studies

Research on Research Use: Building Theory, Empirical Evidence, and a Global Field Vivian Tseng William T. Grant Foundation Research on Research Use: Building Theory, Empirical Evidence, and a Global Field Vivian Tseng William T. Grant Foundation Suggested Citation: Tseng, V. (2022) . Research on research use: Building theory, empirical evidence, and a global field. William T. Grant Foundation. WHEN THE WILLIAM T. GRANT FOUNDATION began exploring research on the use of research evidence in 2007 (Tseng, 2008), the field was in a very different place than it is now. The U.S. was in the throes of an evidence-based policy movement focused on identifying “What Works” and incentivizing practitioners to adopt evidencebased interventions. Those attempts to push evidence into widespread practice had ambitious aims, but, ironically, were not informed by the growing body of research on research use, and subsequently “fell short of expectations”(DuMont, 2019) . Atthe Foundation, we see the puzzle of how to connect research with policy and practice as a vital area for scientific inquiry. We believe that attempts to improve the use of research evidence in policy and practice should be subject to rigorous theory building and empirical analysis. The stakes are high for the research community: If we do not understand what it takes for research to be used, then research will always stay on the proverbial shelf (or website)—far from the action of policy deliberationsand decision-making. Our aspirations for research impact will remain limited to its academic, rather than social, impact (Gamoran, 2018) . In this essay, I reflect on the Foundation’s initiative on the use of research evidence: the progress made by grantees and others in the field and the challenges that remain in building a rigorous field of study that spans the globe. I end with reflections for the future, drawing inspiration from our collaboration with the Pew Charitable Trustsand the Transforming Evidence Funders Network, a collective of public and private funders working to make research more useful, used, and impactful in meeting today’s global challenges—from education to the environment, and from foreign policy to global health. Building Theory and Empirical Evidence A robust field of research on research use requires theory and empirical evidence on when, how, and under what conditions research is used and what it takes to improve research use (Tseng, 2008, 2012). Researchers and policymakers both have implicit theories about research use, but those theories are not often made explicit and are too rarely subjected to empirical testing. The research community can do better, simply by bringing the tools of science to bear on getting science used. If we do that, we can become more evidence-based in promoting evidence use. Descriptive Studies In the early days, many of the studies we funded focused on documenting what research use looks like and explaining when, how, and under what conditions research is used in policy and practice (DuMont, 2015; Tseng, 2012) . These descriptive studies examining the realities of research use were critical, given popular notions of research use as the direct application of findings to a given decision, and research users as autonomous, rational individuals. Back in 1977, Carol Weiss was already critiquing the notion that research use is simply the matter of an individual decision-maker requiring more information to make a decision, finding that information in research, and using the research to make a choice. And although this misguided conceptualization still underlies many research dissemination and communication initiatives, we now have a broad body of evidence showing that research use is infact much more nuanced. Studies in recent decades generated descriptive theories of research use. They revealed the importance of conceptualizing research use as a process, not an isolated moment. Because decision-making

FAQs

Why does the essay emphasize theory and empirical evidence for research use?

It argues that understanding when, how, and under what conditions research is used requires rigorous theory building and empirical analysis, rather than relying on implicit and untested assumptions.

How did early descriptive studies contribute to the field?

Early studies documented what research use looks like and clarified the contexts and conditions under which it occurs, challenging views that treat research use as a direct, one-time application by autonomous individuals.

What shift does the essay describe as the field matured?

Attention moves from isolated decisions to viewing research use as a process, highlighting the importance of supporting agencies to build routine capacity in ongoing decision-making cycles.

Oct 15, 2026

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