Background: The use of research that is not appropriate for a setting could be as harmful or wasteful of resources as the non-use of appropriate research. Before using research conducted elsewhere, decision-makers must decide whether it is applicable and transferable to their setting. Objectives: To understand what factors are considered important when assessing local applicability and transferability. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 69 public health researchers, decision-makers and other stakeholders in Ghana. Results: Six dimensions of local applicability and transferability were identified (table 1). The most influential dimensions and factors were the ease with which the intervention could be implemented, the study’s congruence with interviewees’ previous experiences and the need for the intervention. Little attentionwas paid to study findings. Judgements of an intervention’s potential effectiveness tended to be based on the ease of implementation or knowledge of similar projects. Adaptation was considered to be crucial, although often conceptualised not as a factor within local applicability/transferability assessments, but rather a distinct, essential step in the research use process. Conclusion: Those attempting to encourage research use in policy and practice should be aware of the importance of encouraging appropriate research use, rather than merely pushing for more use. This study suggests that the factors of local applicability/transferability frequently cited in the literature as being important do not reflect those considered to be most important by stakeholders in Ghana.