There are many types of research designs that can be used in dissemination and implementation (D&I) science, so selecting the best type of design to answer your research question is critically important. This section highlights foundational papers and trainings on the major types of designs and then provides additional resources for mixed methods approaches, stepped wedge and other rollout designs, and effectiveness–implementation hybrid designs.
Overviews of Designs
Brown, C. H., Curran, G., Palinkas, L. A., Aarons, G. A., Wells, K. B., Jones, L., Collins, L. M., Duan, N., Mittman, B. S., Wallace, A., Tabak, R. G., Ducharme, L., Chambers, D. A., Neta, G., Wiley, T., Landsverk, J., Cheung, K., & Cruden, G. (2017). An overview of research and evaluation designs for dissemination and implementation. Annual Review of Public Health, 38, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044215 (Paper)
For an introduction to the wide range of research designs that are used in D&I, this paper by Brown et al. (2017) is useful. It provides a comprehensive, field‑defining synthesis of research and evaluation designs in dissemination and implementation science, clarifying the strengths, limitations, and appropriate uses of various designs that have utility across the translational research continuum.
Mazzucca, S., Tabak, R. G., Pilar, M., Ramsey, A. T., Baumann, A. A., Kryzer, E., Lewis, E. M., Padek, M., Powell, B. J., & Brownson, R. C. (2018). Variation in research designs used to test the effectiveness of dissemination and implementation strategies: A review. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, Article 32. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00032 (Paper)
This review by Mazzucca et al. (2018) systematically documents the diversity and evolution of research designs used to evaluate dissemination and implementation strategies, providing empirical guidance to improve methodological decision‑making in implementation science.
