Dissemination of health research findings to local communities in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol

Background Dissemination of health research findings to local communities is an important component of responsible and high-quality research. Expectations to share findings with study participants and local stakeholders are increasingly made explicit in guidance from researchers, research ethics organisations, and research funders. However, observations from practice suggest that research findings are not always shared with the communities involved. This raises questions about accountability and how knowledge from local communities is represented in research outputs. Suboptimal dissemination may undermine trust, contribute to misrepresentation of local knowledge, reduce local ownership of findings, and limit their use in policy and practice. Objective This scoping review aims to map and analyse studies that examine dissemination practices in health research conducted in low- and middle-income countries. Methods We will conduct a scoping review of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies, as well as relevant policy documents and reports. Searches will be carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, and the EBSCO Discovery Service platform, complemented by targeted searches of organisational websites. Two reviewers will screen records and extract data using a structured form. Findings will be synthesised narratively, focusing on reasons for dissemination, forms of dissemination, and the factors and mechanisms that shape whether and how dissemination takes place. Conclusions This review will provide a structured overview of how dissemination practices are described and analysed in the literature. It is expected to generate insights into factors and mechanisms that shape dissemination and to inform context-aware approaches to sharing research findings with local communities.