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The Global Guide to Research Impact

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    This list of how to’s provides an essential guide for a number of key communication and engagement activities that will help make your research travel.

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Featured

Brevity – the soul of communication?

By Abdourahmane Idrissa 03/04/2009

One of the key challenges that all researchers face is how to get policymakers to take note of their findings. No two policymakers are quite the same, and the demand for evidence and the capacity of policymakers to use that evidence will vary widely from country to country. Policymakers’ own experience and expertise will strongly influence what kind of information they want to see and how they will use it, and they will be receiving information from many different sources too. All that, combined with the specific needs and constraints of the particular ministry and government at that point in time, will determine whether or not research results are taken up or not.

SciDev.net and the RAPID team at ODI have been looking at the research communication environment in both North and South, and the various players, including researchers themselves, development practioners and policymakers. They conducted a survey to find out just how developing country policymakers access and use information, what types of communication ‘product’ they find most useful, and what can be done to facilitate the communication process between researchers and policymakers.

Policy briefs were identified as a key tool for addressing this gap, with 79% of respondents from both developed and developing countries ranking policy briefs as valuable communications tools (along with opinion articles written by experts, news items and discussion for a). More in-depth interviews with sub-national developing country policymakers confirmed that they not only read policy briefs, but often actively seek them out to inform their decision-making processes.

In ‘Policy Briefs as a Communication Tool for Development Research’ Nicola Jones and Cora Walsh outline the findings of their research. They describe the key ingredients for an effective policy brief, and guide readers to think about how they can translate their material in a way that makes it more likely to be taken up.

The policy brief is by now means the end of the road though. As the authors note, ‘Even with a well-crafted policy brief in hand, the research communication process has not ended but is only beginning’.

 



Have you struggled to produce good policy briefs and have lessons to share?
Do you have guidelines for your research team on producing policy briefs that you would be willing to share?
How have you used your project’s policy briefs in effective – and perhaps unexpected – ways?
Why not share your experiences with one of our team? Get in touch: info@researchtoaction.org

 

Related posts

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Topics: odi, policy, policymaking, r4d, rapid, research, research communication, Research Methodologies, SciDev.net, text

Abdourahmane Idrissa

Abdourahmane Idrissa is a political scientist based in Niamey, Niger, where he founded the Think Tank EPGA in 2015. The focus of the Think Tank is to influence policy-making in issues related to youth employment, migration and population through empirical and theoretical research in Niger and West Africa. He has recently published a Historical Dictionary of Niger and L’Afrique pour les nuls (‘Africa for Dummies’).

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🌍 Amidst a world in crisis, it's still possible — and powerful — to be part of building something better.

Want to help rethink how humanitarian aid works? 🌱 Join the global #HumanitarianRethink consultation and be part of shaping a more inclusive, effective, and far-reaching system.

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🔗 Link in bio or visit:
researchtoaction.org/2025/05/what-would-a-better-international-emergency-aid-system-look-like

#RebuildingBetter #HumanitarianAid #R2ARecommends #GlobalVoices #AidReform #MakeChange #CrisisResponse #HumanityInAction

🌍 Amidst a world in crisis, it's still possible — and powerful — to be part of building something better.

Want to help rethink how humanitarian aid works? 🌱 Join the global #HumanitarianRethink consultation and be part of shaping a more inclusive, effective, and far-reaching system.

🗣️ Add your voice.
🔗 Link in bio or visit:
researchtoaction.org/2025/05/what-would-a-better-international-emergency-aid-system-look-like

#RebuildingBetter #HumanitarianAid #R2ARecommends #GlobalVoices #AidReform #MakeChange #CrisisResponse #HumanityInAction

🌀 Can we predict research impact?
Not exactly — but we can think more clearly about what’s likely, what’s possible, and what’s out of our hands.

This week on @researchtoaction, we’re recommending a thoughtful resource:
📄 “Seeing the Future: Predictability in Research Impact”
🔗 Link in bio

A useful read for researchers, funders & knowledge brokers thinking about how research makes a difference in the real world.

#ResearchImpact #KnowledgeMobilisation #EvidenceUse #ImpactPlanning #ResearchEngagement #R2ARecommends #LinkInBio

#ResearchImpact #KnowledgeMobilisation #EvidenceUse #ImpactPlanning #ResearchEngagement #R2ARecommends

🌀 Can we predict research impact?
Not exactly — but we can think more clearly about what’s likely, what’s possible, and what’s out of our hands.

This week on @researchtoaction, we’re recommending a thoughtful resource:
📄 “Seeing the Future: Predictability in Research Impact”
🔗 Link in bio

A useful read for researchers, funders & knowledge brokers thinking about how research makes a difference in the real world.

#ResearchImpact #KnowledgeMobilisation #EvidenceUse #ImpactPlanning #ResearchEngagement #R2ARecommends #LinkInBio

#ResearchImpact #KnowledgeMobilisation #EvidenceUse #ImpactPlanning #ResearchEngagement #R2ARecommends

In a recent article Megan Lloyd Laney reflects on the original mission of R2A: how it set out to enable effective and dynamic collaboration and communication in development research by overcoming information access barriers. 

This mission, as she points out, is as vital now as it ever was.

Recent developments, such as the scaling back of platforms like the Communications Initiative and challenges faced by independent media, highlight the growing challenges in accessing free, reliable information. These changes not only affect the dissemination of knowledge but also impact efforts to combat poverty and social injustice. It's imperative to recognise and support the vital role of independent media and communication platforms in fostering informed societies. 

Read Megan's compelling article via our linktree 🔗🔗

#InformationCrisis #MediaMatters #SupportIndependentMedi

In a recent article Megan Lloyd Laney reflects on the original mission of R2A: how it set out to enable effective and dynamic collaboration and communication in development research by overcoming information access barriers.

This mission, as she points out, is as vital now as it ever was.

Recent developments, such as the scaling back of platforms like the Communications Initiative and challenges faced by independent media, highlight the growing challenges in accessing free, reliable information. These changes not only affect the dissemination of knowledge but also impact efforts to combat poverty and social injustice. It's imperative to recognise and support the vital role of independent media and communication platforms in fostering informed societies.

Read Megan's compelling article via our linktree 🔗🔗

#InformationCrisis #MediaMatters #SupportIndependentMedi


About Us

Research To Action (R2A) is a learning platform for anyone interested in maximising the impact of research and capturing evidence of impact.

The site publishes practical resources on a range of topics including research uptake, communications, policy influence and monitoring and evaluation. It captures the experiences of practitioners and researchers working on these topics and facilitates conversations between this global community through a range of social media platforms.

R2A is produced by a small editorial team, led by CommsConsult. We welcome suggestions for and contributions to the site.

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