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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Making your research accessible

Building impact over time: experiences from Zimbabwe

01/07/2015

Blog Posts

Ian Scoones, Director ESRC STEPS Centre, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex – Second prize winner of the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize for Outstanding…

Research to Action

Monitoring and evaluation

Participatory approaches to impact: Learning from the STEPS Centre at Sussex Impact Day

22/06/2015

Blog Posts

At the Sussex impact Day on 16 June, staff from the University of Sussex, plus a few visitors, gathered to share methods, experiences and questions…

Nathan Oxley

Featured

Into the lens –video shines light on the many community perspectives of environmental justice

19/06/2015

Blog Posts

How to support community-led research into local justice norms and perceptions of environmental change? What could be the added value of using Participatory Video? These…

Soledad Muniz

Engaging the public

Creating a conference stall that stands out

09/06/2015

Guides & Tutorials

Thought about holding a stall at a conference to present your research or to use the opportunity to network, but found the prospect too daunting…

Laura ffrench-Constant

Featured

The Future of Knowledge Sharing in a Digital Age: Exploring Impacts and Policy Implications for Development

03/06/2015

Papers & Reports

This evidence report from IDS looks at the possible ways in which digital technologies might contribute to or damage development agendas, and how development practitioners…

Ingvild Storm

Engaging the public

User-testing new climate change adaptation options

26/05/2015

Blog Posts

You recognise the situation: you’re a policymaker or a Programme Manager with responsibility for designing or implementing a climate change adaptation programme. You need to…

Laura ffrench-Constant

Building a strategy

IDRC puts southern-led climate research at the heart of the World Water Congress

12/05/2015

News & Opportunities

Existing pressures on water resources- rising populations, increased waste production, pollution and agricultural demand- have reached crisis point. Currently one in ten of the world’s…

Laurie Huggett

Building a strategy

Designing a Policy Influence Plan: Key Toolkits

06/05/2015

Templates & Toolkits

An influence plan must identify and unpack the steps which contribute to specify and define problems, objectives, actions and necessary resources to promote change in public policy….

Ingvild Storm

Building a strategy

How good are you at research uptake? New tool helps assess capacity.

05/05/2015

Blog Posts

Whose capacity? Developing capacity of decision makers and knowledge brokers to use and demand research has been recognised as strategy to support research uptake. However,…

Julia Powell

Applying M&E methods

Monitoring and Evaluating Policy Influence: Key Toolkits

05/05/2015

Templates & Toolkits

GDNet and CIPPEC have produced these helpful toolkits addressing the various steps of the monitoring and evaluation process of policy influence. They profile aspects such as the…

Ingvild Storm

Evidence into policy

Research Communication for Policy Influence: Key Toolkits

21/04/2015

Templates & Toolkits

5 toolkits addressing different aspects and tools on research communication for policy influence

Ingvild Storm

Jobs

Job Opportunity: ODI seeks Senior Communications Officer

20/04/2015

The Overseas Development Institute is looking for a Senior Communications Officer for The Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium programme.

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Contribute Write a blog post, post a job or event, recommend a resource

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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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