STEMskiller: Skill Set Map for Mentors of Early Career Researchers
ENGAGEMENT, INVOLVEMENT, COLLABORATION, TRANSDISCIPLINARITY, AND INQUISITIVNESS:
Impact and public engagement
Impact for researchers
Definition:
The definition of “research impact” typically depends on the local context (i.e., advancement and promotion policies), the national context (for example, the impact researchers have in policymaking, societal change efforts, national research ranking mechanisms which determine institutional and individual grant funding), and the international context (the “impact” of one’s research on the field/expert community [-ies] as a whole). Mentors should minimally make mentees aware of these different “levels” of potential impact.
Useful resources on Impact for researchers:
UKRI Economic and Social Research Council. (2020). Impact Toolkit. https://esrc.ukri.org/research/impact-toolkit/
Includes an introduction to impact, support for making an impact (media training, public engagement guidance, tips for doing knowledge exchange, support from your research organization, guidance for collaboration, and commercializing your research), impact in an application (i.e., writing a good application statement), communications tools (developing a communications and impact strategy, branding, organizing events, media relations, influencing policymakers, publications, social media best practice and guidance, website guidance and best practice), and case studies.
University of California Berkeley Library. (2020). Measuring your Impact: Introduction. https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/researchimpact
Describes why researchers should consider impact at different levels, including measures commonly used for institutional promotional and advancement and in national ranking mechanisms (journal impact, author impact, author IDs and profiles, altmetrics, and article impact) as well as “broaden your impact.” Includes links to additional reading which include critiques of traditional ranking mechanisms.
Tags: All IPS; all PSR; all IAL; CompQ
Peer Review: None
Table of contents:
- 4.2.3. Science for non-technical audiences and popular science presentations
4.2.4. Developing effective communication skills for public engagement
4.2.5. Lay abstracts with impact
4.2.6. Engaging with schools
4.2.7. Effective online engagement (including research blogging, social media posting, podcasting, & hosting virtual events)
4.2.8. Evaluating public engagement
Author: Stephanie Krueger
Peer Reviewer(s): None
Last Updated: October 28, 2021