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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Have we stopped caring about the climate?

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

What would a better international emergency aid system look like?

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

Does text messaging reach and engage young people?

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

Seeing the Future? Predictability in Research Impact

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

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

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

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Featured

The Guardian debates making research accessible and relevant, Thursday 6th June

05/06/2013

News & Opportunities

Research to Action is joining The Guardian for a live chat tomorrow from 1 onwards on Development research: improving access and relevance

Research to Action

Evidence into policy

Making Evidence Useful: The case for New Institutions

03/06/2013

Papers & Reports

New initiative by the UK government that seeks to create a series of evidence centres to improve the way evidence is used in policy.

Research to Action

Evidence into policy

What counts as good evidence?

28/05/2013

Papers & Reports

Have a look at this research paper discussing how to create more for less with the use of evidence, from Research Unit for Research Utilisation (RURU) School of Management University of St Andrews.

Research to Action

Featured

Mapping Political Context: A Toolkit for Civil Society Organisations ODI RAPID

20/05/2013

Guides & Tutorials

Here is a great toolkit by ODI (Overseas Development Institute) RAPID (Research and policy in Development). This toolkit describes a range of tools that CSOs might use to understand and map political context, in order to engage more effectively in policy processes.

Research to Action

Featured

7 new ways to present evaluation findings

13/05/2013

Presentation Slides

The Research to Action team were revisiting one of our favourite blogs Intelligent Measurement and came across this really great slideshare of a presentation given by Glenn O’Neill at the European Evaluation Society Conference in Helsinki, Finland in October 2012.

Research to Action

Featured

Phil Davies (3ie): On getting evidence into use

29/04/2013

Audio & Video

The Deputy Director of systematic reviews at 3ie (the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation), Phil Davies discusses how research doesn’t always provide straightforward answers to specific problems.

Laurie Huggett

Evidence into policy

Assessing the strength of evidence: Introducing DFID’s new ‘how to’ note

25/04/2013

Blog Posts

Mark Robinson, William Evans and Kirsty Newman from DFID’s Research and Evidence Division introduce the new “Assessing the Strength of Evidence” How to Note, which aims to improve the use of evidence within DFID.

Kirsty Newman

Monitoring and evaluation

R2A Podcast: The Future of Impact Conference

17/04/2013

Audio & Video

Last week Research to Action attended the Future of Impact Conference in London, hosted by the DESCRIBE project (University of Exeter). The audio recordings are now available here as a podcast.

James Harvey

Monitoring and evaluation

The time has come for a better social dialogue between impact professionals

15/04/2013

Blog Posts

Universities are leading the formation of an ‘impact industry’ in the UK. After the DESCRIBE Project’s Future of Impact Conference, James Harvey argues that there is a clear case for more dialogue between professionals operating in this area.

James Harvey

Monitoring and evaluation

Are we losing sight of the true value of research ‘impact’?

11/04/2013

Blog Posts

In his latest post, Andrew Clappison reflects upon the discussion that took place during the Future of Impact Conference, and encourages us to think about the value of impact beyond the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Andrew Clappison

Monitoring and evaluation

The Future of Impact Conference

05/04/2013

News & Opportunities

Next week (10th April 2013), ‘The Future of Impact’ Conference will take place at Woburn House in London. The event aims to “showcase leading national and international inquiry into the Impact of university research”.

Research to Action

Evidence into policy

The use and abuse of research evidence

02/04/2013

Blog Posts

Andrew Clappison argues there is one huge obstacle flying in the face of evidence informed policy making and that’s the fact we live in a socially constructed world, where politics, culture and power shapes peoples behaviour and norms.

Andrew Clappison

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Most Recent Posts

  • Have we stopped caring about the climate?
  • What would a better international emergency aid system look like?
  • Does text messaging reach and engage young people?
  • Seeing the Future? Predictability in Research Impact
  • Knowledge brokers: what are they and what do they do?
🌀 Have we stopped caring about the climate?

Crisis fatigue. Shrinking attention spans. Endless global emergencies.

🌍 Climate change is slipping off the radar — even as the urgency grows.

In her latest blog, Inés Arangüena comnsiders new research from the Reuters Institute and explores how we can re-ignite public connection to the climate crisis — emotionally and politically.

📖 Read the full piece via 🔗 Link in bio

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #CrisisFatigue #ScienceCommunication #ClimateAction #Sustainability #InesArangüena #ResearchToAction #ClimateAwareness #StayEngaged

🌀 Have we stopped caring about the climate?

Crisis fatigue. Shrinking attention spans. Endless global emergencies.

🌍 Climate change is slipping off the radar — even as the urgency grows.

In her latest blog, Inés Arangüena comnsiders new research from the Reuters Institute and explores how we can re-ignite public connection to the climate crisis — emotionally and politically.

📖 Read the full piece via 🔗 Link in bio

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #CrisisFatigue #ScienceCommunication #ClimateAction #Sustainability #InesArangüena #ResearchToAction #ClimateAwareness #StayEngaged

🌍 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

🌍 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


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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