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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Looking back, peering forward: our 2025 journey

As 2025 draws to a close, we’d like to take a moment to pause and look back on the past year at...

Why development research needs a new publishing paradigm

The promise of open access once offered a path toward equity in development research. However, as highlighted in a recent INASP policy...

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...

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Strategic communication

How to construct an abstract

02/11/2022

Nature scientific journal logo Blog Posts

Abstracts are an essential part of scientific writing. They succinctly summarise the main points of a paper, while also providing context for the reader. Abstracts…

Isobel Fisher

Impact Practitioners

Learn to plan and monitor research impact in six steps

27/10/2022

Blog Posts

This 40-page toolkit produced by the Overseas Development Institute introduces a simple step-by-step guide to help you better understand and monitor research impact. The toolkit…

Karolina Bohacova

Using digital tools

Social Media Tools for Investigative Journalists

26/10/2022

Blog Posts

Investigative journalists who use social media strategically can access a wealth of information, leads and sources. Social media is a treasure trove of data, but…

Isobel Fisher

Engaging policy audiences

Adaptation Research Alliance, Grassroots Action-Research Micro-Grants Funding Call – Deadline 12 December 2022

24/10/2022

R2A graphic saying "opportunity 2022" Blog Posts

 Adaptation Research Alliance, Grassroots Action-Research Micro-Grants Funding Call Opportunity Type: Grant funding Amount available: Up to 15,000.00 GBP Closing date: Monday 12th December, 2o22 Other:  Successful applicants…

Research to Action

Impact Practitioners

Ten tips for innovative and impactful research dissemination

20/10/2022

Blog Posts

This 12-page academic paper written by a group of European researchers presents ten tips for innovative and impactful dissemination of research findings. It will help…

Karolina Bohacova

Monitoring and evaluation

Evaluation for Food Security, Agriculture and Rural Development Events

19/10/2022

Blog Posts

EvalForward is a Community of Practice on Evaluation for Food Security, Agriculture, and Rural Development. Their aim is to bring together officers and professionals to…

Isobel Fisher

Strategic communication

Global Communications Officer – Street Child, London – Deadline 4 November

17/10/2022

R2A graphic saying "opportunity 2022" Blog Posts

Global Communications Officer – Street Child Location: Street Child’s London office (Hybrid-working) Salary: £27,000 – £30,000 per annum depending on experience Contract type: Permanent, full-time…

Research to Action

Impact Practitioners

All you need to know about working with Theory of Change

13/10/2022

R2A Impact Practitioners logo image Blog Posts

This 38-page guide written by Isabel Vogel for Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) research projects provides a comprehensive manual on working with a Theory…

Karolina Bohacova

Knowledge translation

Free Online Event- Research Impact Summit

12/10/2022

Blog Posts

The 2022 Research Impact Summit will take place on 26 & 27 October, featuring over 20 speaker sessions led by knowledge translation and research impact…

Isobel Fisher

Monitoring and evaluation

LIMC Bursary – LIDC short course: Programme Evaluation: From Innovation to Impact – Deadline 15 October

10/10/2022

R2A graphic saying "opportunity 2022" Blog Posts

Programme Evaluation: from Innovation to Impact: LIDC’s short course – 5-9 December Location: Hybrid Event- Central London or Online Fees: £1,000 for online tuition, £1,400…

Research to Action

Impact Practitioners

Methods and frameworks for assessing societal impact

06/10/2022

Blog Posts

This 17-page academic paper by David Budtz Pedersen, Jonas Følsgaard Grønvad and Rolf Hvidtfeldt explores the current literature on research impact in social sciences and…

Karolina Bohacova

Making your research accessible

Rethinking Public Dialogue – Support for public dialogue innovations

05/10/2022

Blog Posts

The RSA and UKRI are supporting projects that test novel approaches and new possibilities for public dialogue. Does your project innovatively involve the public with…

Isobel Fisher

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Partner with Us Are you an institution looking to increase your impact?

Most Recent Posts

  • Looking back, peering forward: our 2025 journey
  • Why development research needs a new publishing paradigm
  • Kathryn Oliver on rethinking evidence use
  • Job Opportunity: Director at the Africa Evidence Network (AEN)
  • Evidence is everybody’s story

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re pausing to reflect at Research to Action (R2A) ✨

This year, 27,000+ readers from 188 countries joined us in exploring how research can better inform action — reading, sharing, and asking thoughtful questions along the way 🌍📚

Despite a challenging year for international development, our community leaned into conversations about:
📊 Impact and learning
🔄 Knowledge brokering & evidence use
🤖 AI and the future of research

What inspired us most was how you engaged — with curiosity, care, and a commitment to making evidence matter.

✨ Looking ahead, we remain focused on creating space for reflection, learning, and meaningful exchange — together.

Thank you for being part of the journey. Here’s to another year of curiosity and impact 💛

🔗 Link in bio to read our full reflection

#ResearchToAction #EvidenceInPractice #ResearchImpact #KnowledgeSharing #EndOfYearReflection #GlobalCommunity

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


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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