Research to Action

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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Kathryn Oliver on rethinking evidence use

Back in October, Professor Kathryn Oliver delivered an insightful lecture on one of the big questions in our field. Individuals, organisations, and...

Job Opportunity: Director at the Africa Evidence Network (AEN)

More than a decade ago, a group of people passionate about generating and using evidence in Africa, for Africa, got together over...

Evidence is everybody’s story

In a world drowning in data, the promise of ‘evidence-based practice’ often feels distant. For many, evidence remains something that is done...

“No stories without data, no data without stories”: A framework for showcasing researcher impact

How can researchers move beyond lists of publications and metrics to tell compelling stories about the difference their work makes? The Researcher...

Reshaping Africa’s evidence ecosystem

Elevate Evidence Hub (EEH) is a South Africa-based, women-led, Pan-African knowledge translation platform dedicated to turning high-quality evidence into practical change for...

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Stakeholder mapping

Why research users are central to research impact

04/07/2025

Blog post

If you want your research to make a difference, you need to think about who will use it.  The Research Impact Academy has recently published…

Research to Action Admin

Targeting practitioners

Whose knowledge counts in development research?

27/06/2025

Blog post

Who truly shapes the global academic landscape? In this academic article, Sarah Cummings and Paul Hoebink pull back the curtain on a significant imbalance in…

Research to Action Admin

Engaging the public

How can research support volunteering?

20/06/2025

Blog post

As the funding landscape tightens, organisations in the Third Sector – that is organizations that are neither government (public sector) nor business (private sector) –…

Research to Action Admin

Presenting your research

Have we stopped caring about the climate?

30/05/2025

Blog post

The climate crisis continues to escalate, bringing increasingly severe impacts felt across the globe. However, a 2024 report analysing data from eight countries shows that…

Inés Arangüena

Making your research accessible

What would a better international emergency aid system look like?

08/05/2025

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Amidst the chaos of a world on fire – metaphorically and literally – it is worth looking for ways to contribute to the rebuilding of…

Research to Action Admin

Knowing your audience

Does text messaging reach and engage young people?

23/04/2025

Blog post

How do we reach and engage young people – with research, with advice, with training? We know that the answer is going to lie partly…

Research to Action Admin

Measuring success

Seeing the Future? Predictability in Research Impact

18/04/2025

Blog post

For anyone involved in research, the question of impact is central. Proving that our research has had an impact on broader society is hard enough;…

Research to Action Admin

Knowledge translation

Knowledge brokers: what are they and what do they do?

26/03/2025

Blog post

There are many titles and phrases for anyone who works in information, communication, and knowledge brokering in the world of evidence. The roles are as…

Research to Action Admin

Impact Practitioners

The global information ecosystem is under threat

21/03/2025

Blog post

Research to Action (R2A) was set up back in 2010 because there was a lack of ‘free to use’ information and advice for the global…

Megan Lloyd-Laney

Using digital tools

AI at work in one small Nigerian newsroom

19/03/2025

Blog post

The independent, climate-focused investigative newsroom The Colonist Report scored an investigative success using AI recently, according to the Reuters Institute website. The newsroom used commonly-used…

Research to Action Admin

Monitoring and evaluation

Writing TORs for an evaluation

12/03/2025

Blog post

The very useful Peregrine e-discussion group (previously the Pelican Initiative) run by the Better Evaluation group, is a source of rich discussion. Its members share…

Research to Action Admin

Using digital tools

Join a community interested in digital tools for MERL

05/03/2025

Blog post

There are a confusing number of acronyms used by the community that is interested in keeping tabs on progress being made (in research, development, activism),…

Research to Action Admin

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Most Recent Posts

  • Kathryn Oliver on rethinking evidence use
  • Job Opportunity: Director at the Africa Evidence Network (AEN)
  • Evidence is everybody’s story
  • “No stories without data, no data without stories”: A framework for showcasing researcher impact
  • Reshaping Africa’s evidence ecosystem
In our latest blog Inés Arangüena breaks down the Researcher Impact Framework (RIF) — a super practical way to show the real-world impact behind research, not just the publication count.

✨ Why it’s worth a read:
💡 Clearly explain the difference your work makes
📚 Connect outcomes to real evidence + activity
🤝 Highlight impact through collaboration, knowledge sharing & community
📊 Use metrics that actually matter (not just journal impact factors!)

If you’re a researcher, communicator, or anyone trying to share the story behind your work… this framework is a game-changer.

🔗 Link in bio to read the full blog!

#ResearchImpact #KnowledgeTranslation #DataDrivenStorytelling #AcademicCommunications #ImpactNarratives Trinity College Dublin

In our latest blog Inés Arangüena breaks down the Researcher Impact Framework (RIF) — a super practical way to show the real-world impact behind research, not just the publication count.

✨ Why it’s worth a read:
💡 Clearly explain the difference your work makes
📚 Connect outcomes to real evidence + activity
🤝 Highlight impact through collaboration, knowledge sharing & community
📊 Use metrics that actually matter (not just journal impact factors!)

If you’re a researcher, communicator, or anyone trying to share the story behind your work… this framework is a game-changer.

🔗 Link in bio to read the full blog!

#ResearchImpact #KnowledgeTranslation #DataDrivenStorytelling #AcademicCommunications #ImpactNarratives Trinity College Dublin

Revisiting a 2022 article by Tebby Leepile this International Week of Science and Peace. It dives into the challenge of scaling implementation science: too big becomes unsustainable, too small makes little impact. 🌍🔬

How do we find the balance that leads to real change?

Full article in linktree just click #R2AArchive 🔗

#ScienceForPeace #InternationalWeekOfScienceAndPeace #ImplementationScience #SustainableDevelopment #ScaleUpImpact  #FromDataToImpact  #InnovationForGood

Revisiting a 2022 article by Tebby Leepile this International Week of Science and Peace. It dives into the challenge of scaling implementation science: too big becomes unsustainable, too small makes little impact. 🌍🔬

How do we find the balance that leads to real change?

Full article in linktree just click #R2AArchive 🔗

#ScienceForPeace #InternationalWeekOfScienceAndPeace #ImplementationScience #SustainableDevelopment #ScaleUpImpact #FromDataToImpact #InnovationForGood

✨ This week #R2ARecommends a powerful new guide from ALNAP — updating how we evaluate what really matters in humanitarian action. 🌍

The guide refreshes definitions, clears up old ambiguities, and introduces new priority themes — making evaluation frameworks more relevant, inclusive, and climate-aware for today’s humanitarian challenges. 💪🏽

As always check out our linktree to read the full article 🔗

#HumanitarianEvaluation #ALNAP #OECDDAC #LocallyLedAction #PeopleCentredEvaluation #AccountabilityToAffectedPeople #SustainableHumanitarianAction #EvidenceForAction #GlobalDevelopment #R2ARecommends #EvaluationMatters #HumanitarianLearning

✨ This week #R2ARecommends a powerful new guide from ALNAP — updating how we evaluate what really matters in humanitarian action. 🌍

The guide refreshes definitions, clears up old ambiguities, and introduces new priority themes — making evaluation frameworks more relevant, inclusive, and climate-aware for today’s humanitarian challenges. 💪🏽

As always check out our linktree to read the full article 🔗

#HumanitarianEvaluation #ALNAP #OECDDAC #LocallyLedAction #PeopleCentredEvaluation #AccountabilityToAffectedPeople #SustainableHumanitarianAction #EvidenceForAction #GlobalDevelopment #R2ARecommends #EvaluationMatters #HumanitarianLearning


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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