SIX TIPS FOR RESEARCH IMPACT BUILDING YOUR PATHWAYS TO IMPACT

CATHERINE MANTHORPE

UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE ©2015 CATHERINE MANTHORPE

4 FEBRUARY 2015

‘Research is too important to go into a scholarly

journal to die’ Eleanora Belfiore, Associate Professor of

Cultural Policy, Warwick

The difference

that research makes to the world

Acad

emic

Economy,

society,

culture

Top tip #1:

Make sure your research outputs

can be discovered

Top tip #2:

Think about who the audience(s) for your research

is (are), how to reach it (them) and start building

relationships

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE?

How much detail do they need?

WHAT LANGUAGE

IS APPROPRIATE?

What is th

e level

of English

of your

audience?

What style is

appropriate fo

r

this audience?

WHAT IS THEIR

SOCIO-

POLITICAL/CULTUR

AL BACKGROUND?

Are there any cultural sensitivities

around my subject for this audience?

Is it mixed gender?

What’s their age range (and

therefore life experience)?

Do they have any political/cultural

biases that I need to consider?

What is an appropriate level of

formality?

Do they work in the same

organization as me or externally?

WHAT’S THEIR BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE?

Do they understand the wider context of my research?

Do they know what others in the field say about this topic?

What do they know already?How up to date is their knowledge of

this topic?Do they work in the same field as

me?

Are they specialists in this field?

WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE FOR

LISTENING/READING?

How willing will the audience be to accept the ideas I present?

What do they want/need to know?Do they understand the

relevance/importance of this work?What will they do with the

ideas/information in my writing afterwards?

Top tip # 3:

Address areas of policy/social/economic/

cultural/business interest

INNOVATE UK – Technology Strategy Board : 8 Great Technologies • Big data revolution and energy

efficient computing• Satellites and commercial

applications of space• Robotics and autonomous

systems• Life sciences, genomics and

synthetic biology• Regenerative medicine• Agri Science• Advanced materials and

nanotechnology• Energy and its storage

RCUK• Digital Economy

• Energy• Global Food Security• Global uncertainties

– security for all in a changing world• Living with environmental

change• Lifelong health and

well-being

AHRC• Care for the future

– thinking forward through the past• Digital

transformations in the Arts and Humanities

• Science in Culture• Translating culture

Develop expertise in your field and be a trustworthy source of

evidence

Get decision makers involved in

your research

Join relevant committees and

insert your findings into

decision making

Top tip #4: Write with different voices(and where your audience is reading)

Top tip #5: This is not a linear process

Do researc

h

Publish it

Impact?

There is no such thing as ‘I am not ready to publish my findings’.

Establish hypothesi

s

Share it

Refine hypothesi

s

Write about it

Get some attention

Top tip #6: Use social media

“If you want your research to be found you need to engage with social media” (Nick

Scott, ODI)

Ideas travel through

networks and relationships

How good is your impact?

REACH

SIGNIFICANCE

OUTSTANDIN

G

Very considerab

le

Considerable

Modest

You are not alone – impact ‘infrastructure’

Research Institutes

and University

You

e.g:• Heritage Hub• FoodNet• Patient

participation groups

Marketing ExecBusiness Development CoordinatorFunding

‘Research Office’MarcommsSmall grant schemesTrainingEvents

Resources and acknowledgements

Best current resource for understanding link between research and impacts are the REF2014 case studies now published on the HEFCE website: http://results.ref.ac.uk/

Thanks to:

Jodi Nelson for her slide share (hyperlink on slide 15)

Becker Medical Library Model for Assessment of Research Impact https://becker.wustl.edu/impact-assessment/model