There is a critical need for scientists to incorporate a knowledge translation (KT) perspective into research plans to demonstrate the relevance of research findings and evaluate their implications for health practice and policy. Since 2011, the British Journal of Sport Medicine (BJSM) has had a focus on implementation and dissemination research.1 This field is consistent with KT, which is the term used by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). As the following research example was conducted in Canada, the terminology KT is used, acknowledging similarities to implementation and dissemination concepts referred to elsewhere in BJSM.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, the knowledge exchange process should influence healthcare professionals, community members and other decision-making groups. On the basis of the original model developed by van Mechelen et al,2 injury prevention research in sport includes identification of injury burden, examination of risk factors, and development, implementation and evaluation of prevention strategies to reduce injury risk. As sport injury prevention programmes cannot be impactful without acceptance and adoption by targeted individuals, an extension of this model must include real-world implementation contexts and evaluation of their effectiveness in a broader, ecological context (figure 1).3