How to apply academic research on your target population

Before diving into reporting, we try to understand the community we aim to serve. That's why we began with a comprehensive research review, an essential step to glean insights from existing studies and save time and effort. By immersing ourselves in prior research, we gained a foundational understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by our target population. 

We employed a quantified method to analyze related research, which revealed underlying trends and patterns about the economic, social, and political changes influencing their lives. This macro-level view helped us identify critical areas for further exploration and revealed gaps and challenges in existing research, signifying potential opportunities for our project.

Key points that emerge from our research review include:

1. A shift in focus from general populations to specific subgroups, particularly those born after 1980.
2. The growing importance of digital technologies in shaping information behaviors, despite persistent digital divides.
3. Significant gaps between information needs and satisfaction rates across various domains, including employment, rights protection, and health information.
4. The complex interplay between rural and urban information environments in the population’s lives. 
5. The surprising role of public libraries and other social institutions in meeting information needs.

While research review methodologies vary greatly depending on the target group and context, our process of translating it into insights can offer valuable inspiration for the initial phase of audience research. This approach can open up new perspectives and possibilities for other projects.

Quantified analysis of research reveals historical trends and key focuses

We conducted a quantitative analysis of existing studies. This involved examining both the volume and focus of research to identify broader trends and shifts in attention over time. 

This historical perspective is crucial for understanding the evolving nature of the target population’s needs. By tracing how research priorities have shifted over time, we can identify emerging trends, persistent challenges, and areas where interventions are most needed.

Accessing and managing sources

We started with the largest database of academic journals in our target country. However, accessing the database from outside the country presented some challenges. The IP blocking of foreign addresses and identification authentication process poses obstacles for foreign researchers. Using a VPN makes this far less likely to happen. We also used public library portals for easier, free access. In cases where direct access remains difficult, we recommend engaging local ventures who offer database access as a service.

To ensure the long-term availability of critical materials, consider implementing a robust document saving and management system. Maintaining a source database allows us to quickly revisit key findings, compare data points, and identify gaps that require further investigation.

Bibliometric analysis

Bibliometric analysis of the database revealed significant trends in the volume of research related to our target population. We tracked the number of publications on certain keywords over the past two decades to understand the broader trajectory of research in this area.

A bibliometric analysis of the database shows that the volume of information need-related studies on the target population has experienced a marked decline since the early 2010s. This trend is part of a broader pattern, with research on the target population and information needs showing downward trajectories beginning in 2009 and 2014, respectively.

However, the proportion of information-related studies within the broader field of relevant research has actually increased over the past two decades. This may suggest a growing recognition of the importance of information needs in understanding the population’s general experience, even as overall research volume has decreased.

Bibliometric analysis of other target populations and in other regions may likewise reveal that the information needs of the demographic are well-studied, out-dated, non-existent, etc. These findings can shape the depth and direction of research into audience information needs.

Keyword frequency

Analysis of keyword frequency provides insight into the evolving focus of research. A specific modifier attached to the general term for our target population appeared as a keyword 93 times in the literature, while a general term for our target population appeared 148 times, indicating a significant focus on this demographic distinction. This finding confirmed that our research should take into account this distinction in our analysis of audience information needs.

A closer look in methodologies informs evolution, gaps, and biases in research

The methodological approaches employed in studying our target population's information needs have diversified, reflecting a growing recognition of the complex, contextual nature of information behaviors and broader opportunities for research.

Early research primarily relied on straightforward survey methodologies, focusing on quantifying needs and satisfaction levels across various information categories. As the field has matured, researchers have increasingly adopted mixed-method approaches that combine quantitative data with rich qualitative insights.

Recent studies have employed innovative techniques to gather data:

1. Comparative experiments: A survey within the last decade compared the online information searching behaviour of our target population with another demographic. 
2. Snowball sampling and workplace integration: Another survey within the last decade had managers distribute questionnaires in workplaces, and used snowball sampling through business owners’ networks.
3. Seasonal opportunities: A more recent study collected questionnaire data and conducted in-depth interviews during a holiday period in which our target population had more free time.
4. Collaboration with health services: Another more recent study collaborated with a community health service center to conduct surveys, free clinics, and follow-up visits, integrating health service provision with research on our target population. 
5. Virtual ethnography: A very recent study employed internet ethnography, observing chat groups of our target population to understand their social media use and local identity.

These methodological innovations reflect efforts to overcome challenges in accessing our target population and to capture the nuanced, context-dependent nature of their information behaviors.

Despite these advancements, challenges persist in standardizing research approaches. The lack of standardized segmentation methods for categorizing our target population’s information needs makes it difficult to draw robust comparisons across studies or to identify clear trends over time.

Identify key focus areas in research

With the research review, we found that the information needs of our target population have coalesced around several key focus areas, reflecting the diverse challenges and opportunities faced by this population. To systematically analyze these areas, we:

• Summarized focus areas through keywords: This allowed us to quickly identify and categorize the main themes emerging from the research;
• Recorded key data points from research: We noted important statistics and findings to provide evidence and context for each focus area;
• Linked findings back to the original journal: This ensured traceability and facilitated revisiting the original source for further information.

Through this process, we identified the following key focus areas:

• Employment and skill training;
• Rights protection and legal information;
• Health information;
• Media usage and digital behavior;
• Geographic connections;
• Gender dynamics;
• Entrepreneurship information.

Focus on quality, not quantity

A research review is an important step toward building empathy to the community. The success of research review, however, is measured not by the volume of data collected, but by the quality of insights gained. We aim to challenge or confirm pre-existing assumptions, discover unexpected insights, and develop a "gut feeling" of sufficient understanding. The focus is on building empathy rather than achieving complete or perfect knowledge. 

Throughout this process, we remained mindful of the need to critically evaluate the confidence level of each data point. By considering factors such as sample size, methodology, and potential biases in each study, we aimed to prevent over-reliance on findings with low confidence levels. This critical approach ensured that our insights were built on a solid foundation of reliable and robust data.

Furthermore, we recognize that a research review is part of an iterative process. We anticipate revisiting our review as our project progresses and new information becomes available. New research reviews focused on more specific areas may also be needed in the later phases of our project to address emerging questions and refine our understanding.

By prioritizing quality over quantity and maintaining a critical perspective throughout our research review, we are confident that we have established a strong foundation for understanding the information needs of our target community.

If you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to get in touch at hello@gazzetta.xyz.