Looking for Theory‐Practice Synthesis for Actionable Outcomes: A Continuing Special Collection for Translational Water Research

Abstract

AbstractTranslational research (TR) represents a promising systematic process for going from scientific discoveries to practical applications. Through conversations with academics, practitioners, decision‐makers and users, there has emerged a broad level of water science community support for including TR in Water Resources Research (WRR) publications. Based on this, we now open a continuing special collection of TR papers in WRR. The aim is to facilitate a community within hydrology and water science that seeks to provide actionable knowledge for societal benefit across disciplines, scales and contexts, with a focus on water as a key societal resource or a risk (e.g., of floods, droughts, or as pollutant carrier). This Editorial discusses what the multi‐faceted nature of TR may include in the context of WRR, why it is important to encourage TR papers in WRR, and how the opening of a continuing special collection of translational water research papers initiates a process to include such articles in the journal.