Research to policy in the Arab world: lost in translation

Research alone is no silver bullet for health development in the Arab world. In our countries, health research is fragmented where there is little communication between research producers, users, and policy makers. It is long debated whether policy process runs well ahead of research-based evidence or researchers are not selecting the appropriate “horses for courses”. In this current short review we will explore why does research evidence have little influence on health policies? We also would point to some factors that could promote the linkage and integration of researchers and policy makers. We also explain the expected role and goals of health research departments or units in the Arab world, along with the different strategies to be adopted for health research dissemination and communication. This is followed by recommendations for promoting research integrity and the quality of studies; which, in its turn, would help in increasing policy makers’ trust, develop their interest in research-informed policy making, and work on fostering the research- policy link. Accordingly, the role of ethics’ committees and sub-committees, the importance of developing or adopting health research guidelines, and the role of medical associations would be explained. Finally, answers to two important questions would be figured out. Firstly, how do the medical journals constitute a crucial part of research process? Secondly how could medical journals ensure the quality of the published research as well as the effectiveness of its peer review process?