In order to think through the potential impacts of your research and start shaping some impact objectives, you need to consider, beyond contributing to and challenging knowledge, what other effects do you want your work to have, where and why?
You can ask yourself:
- Who uses my research, other than academics? Who do I want to use it?
- Who will be involved in the project as partners (those who contribute to the research in kind or in cash), collaborators (those who conduct the research with or alongside you) or participants (those who contribute as subjects)?
- Could any of these groups or individuals help shape my initial research questions in ways that help ensure the relevance and utility of my work to them?
- What new insights might the project reveal?
- What could change as a result of the project, and for whom?
- How can I tell whether my research has actually been useful?
Try to describe the type of impact you are hoping to achieve with your work in one sentence, if you need some inspiration you can read more about types of impact and change or browse these impact stories. You should also consider the timescales of your impacts - which changes might be short-term or longer-term? Which of them are realistically achievable in a particular time-frame, and which are more speculative, with no timeline attached?
Next build up a list of all those who could benefit from your research, who might have lay expertise that could help to shape the direction of it, or who might be in a position to help advance the aims of your research. For example:
- Civil society
- Economies/businesses
- Health sector
- Schools or education groups
- Arts and heritage organisations or practitioners
Think about each area from a top-down and bottom-up perspective. For example, impact could happen by working with policymakers in a specific area who have the power to make a change, but it could also happen through engaging those citizens who would be affected by the change and could lobby for (or against) it.
Think as broadly as possible, but be specific. Don’t use “the public” to refer to an undifferentiated group of people; think about what you mean by that: A particular demographic? Users of a particular service? Don't miss out your research participants- do they stand to benefit from your research? (Shouldn't they?)
For each group or person identified, try to articulate how they could be positively affected by the impact and also what role they might play in achieving it.
Now to work out the best ways of engaging the people you have identified - read our guide to planning effective engagement.
To structure all this information, it can be useful to follow a 'Theory of change' or 'Logic model', which helps to devise, map and monitor the ways in which you can reach your impact goals. You can find out more about this in our guide to evidencing impact.
The research engagement and impact team are here to help, get in touch if you would like to talk through your impact planning.