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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Using online tools/ICTs

Supporting Independent Media: Media Viability Accelerator

04/12/2024

Blog post

With the business model for media becomning increasingly fragile, how can small, independent media survive? In all parts of the world, but especially the Global…

Research to Action Admin

Featured

What role for research when ordinary life is put on hold?

29/11/2024

Blog post

Today, November 29th, is the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Established in 1977, it provides an opportunity for the international community…

Megan Lloyd-Laney

Evidence into policy

Reflecting on the Global Evidence Summit 2024: A week of Engaging and Learning

25/11/2024

Blog post

Africa’s increasingly strong presence and contribution to the evidence-based decision-making field was clearly reflected at the Global Evidence Summit held recently in Prague. Nkululeko Tshabalala,…

Research to Action Admin

Framing challenges

What Are We Missing? Podcast

21/11/2024

Key Resources

In their podcast series which started in February 2024, Development Initiatives explores the question: ‘What are we missing?” within the context of several global crises…

Research to Action Admin

Evidence into policy

Profiling the Evidence Ecosystem in West Africa

11/11/2024

Blog post

I recently had the pleasure of attending a webinar during Africa Evidence Week where the EPA Center of Excellence – a joint initiative of the…

Andrea Elanga

Making your research accessible

Are conference presentations accessible? Insights from an online survey to improve equity

06/11/2024

Blog post

Have you ever considered whether the way you are presenting your research is accessible to and considerate of those with disabilities?  Conferences are an incredibly…

Research to Action Admin

Evidence into policy

The Mastercard Foundation Youth Think Tank

21/10/2024

Blog post

If, like us, you are passionate about the inclusion and engagement of young people in research, then we highly recommend that you peruse the Mastercard…

Inés Arangüena

Strategic communication

Youth-focused initiatives: Youth Employment Evidence and Insights Hub

11/10/2024

Blog post

The Youth Employment Evidence and Insights Hub (YEEIH) is a new initiative led by the Pan-African Collective for Evidence (PACE) with the support of the…

Inés Arangüena

Impact Practitioners

Four strategies to increase policy influence

03/10/2024

Blog post

This 10-page article offers some insights from policy studies and case studies of Oxfam campaigns to promote the uptake of research evidence in policy. Oxfam…

Research to Action Admin

Building a strategy

Youth-focused initiatives: Youth and Social Justice Futures Project

28/09/2024

Blog post

Africa’s young people need to acquire skills and expertise to meet a future job market whose needs are not yet known. It’s a dilemma –…

Inés Arangüena

Evidence into policy

There are many pathways to impact

26/09/2024

Blog post

You, our audience, tell us that you spend a lot of time and energy trying to work out what is the impact of your individual…

Research to Action Admin

Impact Practitioners

Theories of Change: A guide to monitoring and evaluating policy influence

19/09/2024

Blog post

This 12-page paper by Harry Jones for the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) looks at how to monitor and evaluate activities that aim to influence policy….

Research to Action Admin

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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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