From Impact to Engagement
Resources and links for postdoctoral researchers
This page explores the themes of research impact and engagement with audiences beyond academia. It includes presentations given by speakers at a workshop organised by the CRASSH Postdoctoral Researcher Forum with the title 'From Impact to Engagement' on 11 March 2010. Links to the event programme and speaker biographies can be found here.
The resources on this page are grouped under the following headings:
- Debating research impact - perspectives from Hefce, UCU and RAND.
- Public engagement - definitions and resources
- Opportunities in Cambridge - highlights from the University's busy Community Affairs programme
- Working with the media - guidance for researchers
Proposals by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) to base a proportion of funding assessed through the new Research Excellence Framework (the successor to the RAE) on the 'impact' of research have sparked much debate. At the 'Impact to Engagement' workshop on 11 March, Alastair Hunter, Graeme Rosenberg and Steven Wooding presented contrasting views.
Alastair Hunter gave the UCU union's perspective, arguing against making core research funding conditional on its perceived economic and social benefits. He stated " It is often difficult to predict which research will create the greatest practical impact. History shows us that in many instances it is curiosity-driven research that has led to major advances in the sciences and the arts." His full remarks and some additional material can be downloaded here.
Speaking for Hefce, REF Manager Graeme Rosenberg countered that assessing research impact is necessary in the context of substantial increases in public funding for research over the past decade. He emphasized that Hefce is proposing a wide definition of impact, not a narrow focus on economic benefits. The slide show of his presentation can be downloaded here.
Steven Wooding, a research leader at the RAND think-tank, argued that measuring impact is "difficult, but not impossible". He stressed the importance of a "multi-method, multi-dimensional" approach. You can read a report he co-authored for Hefce on international experiences in measuring research impact here.
Public engagement - resources and definitions
The ambition of realising "a different, more inclusive relationship between the academic and non-academic worlds" is central to the concept of public engagement, according to the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE). Read more about the centre's research, resources and events here. Research Councils UK (RCUK) has produced a document outlining the benefits of public engagement for researchers which you can read here.
Opportunities in Cambridge - highlights from the University's Community Affairs programme
The key place to find information about how you can get involved with outreach and public engagement work in Cambridge is the Community Affairs team website. From major public events, such as the Festival of Ideas, to offering tailor-made lectures and interactive lessons to schools and community groups, there are dozens of ways you can get involved. If you want training and support while you do it, the Rising Stars programme is a public engagement course aimed at students and early-career researchers which runs on a regular basis.
Case study: Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics
Working with the media - guidance for researchers
Academic research is frequently in the news, but researchers face a number of challenges to getting across the story that they want to tell, not least the difficulty of translating their specialism into a language understandable by a wider audience. Cambridge University's Communications Office can offer help and guidance on a range of issues, whether it is how to draft an effective press release, or crafting a media strategy for a large, long-term research project. Click here for Stuart Roberts' invaluable guide to presenting your research effectively to over-worked journalists.
Media training is also available for Cambridge postdocs through the Centre for Personal and Professional Development. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has a good online 'Communications' Toolkit' which includes a handy pocket guide on 'what to do when a journalist calls'.
Information about the standards which journalists should adhere to can be found here (the National Union of Journalists' Code of Conduct), and here (the Press Complaints Commission), and here (Ofcom, which regulates broadcast media).
Finally, if you are thinking of writing a press release related to your research, you might find this exchange between a business reporter and a PR manager useful (scroll down to the second comment for some useful tips). The subject matter is a long way from the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, but the warnings about gobbledegook, jargon and timing are not!
