4 things I learnt about 'impact' (REF 2021)...
4 things I learnt about impact from an impact workshop at the University of Lincoln...
- Citations are not impact.
- At one point, scientific success was based on citations and publications, publications in 'high impact' journals and perhaps some media exposure. However, the term 'impact' is now being redefined to incorporate a much wider definition of what it means for research to be impactful. "We define the term comprehensive impact as the broad impact of scientific research upon human society (including cultural and economic impact) and the natural environment." (Ravenscroft, Liakata, Clare & Duma, 2017) - referring to impact as something that goes beyond the traditional academic indices of success. This is similar to the Research Excellence Framework's (REF) definition of impact as the "effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.” (REF 2014 Key Facts, 2014;). REF claims to assess "the broader impact of universities’ research beyond academia: on the economy, society, culture, public policy and services, health, the environment and quality of life – within the UK and internationally."Taking Part in REF 2021, 2017). These definitions infer the idea of impact beyond the academic sphere, this is particularly important to bear in mind since it is a key component of REF 2021 criteria: "For each submission, three distinct elements are assessed: the quality of outputs (e.g. publications, performances, and exhibitions), their impact beyond academia, and the environment that supports research." (What is the REF, 2017). Therefore sharing knowledge and information is not enough. Simply publishing papers (that rarely get utilised outside of academia or industry) is not enough. Sharing findings and conclusions, and having these shared on social media is not enough, as this is a passive dissemination of knowledge. Impact, in this case, goes beyond dispersing information from a university setting to the wider public.
- Dissemination is not necessarily impact either
- Often social media posts, news articles, blog posts etc. are thought of as impact; 'All I need to do is carry out some great research then share what I have found'. That's great, but it isn't necessarily 'impact' as it mostly based on the unidirectional dissemination of findings. All of those things above can be part of impactful research though with a small tweak (see next point). This is why public engagement - engagement as going beyond disseminating knowledge - is more beneficial than simply tweeting, or writing about research findings. A PhD Life article here, gives some useful examples of impact activities, which do involve some dissemination but the difference is the two-way communication and interaction, which goes beyond the passing on of knowledge as a meaningful indicator of impact.
- Two-way process
- In this workshop we learnt about impact as bidirectional exchange and mobilisation of knowledge. Knowledge is not only shared by researchers, but incorporates the knowledge of those that the research will potentially affect and all of the groups of people in will potentially affect. Going back to point 2 and the importance of public engagement in research. For example in eating disorder research a variety of people should be involved in knowledge exchange from the start - clinicians, patients in treatment, those who have been through treatment but are no longer being treated, carers etc. It should be emphasised that impact should be considered from the start of a research project, as it is often neglected until the end of the process in terms of sharing findings. Not only does considering this from the start give more opportunity to involve the public, patients, businesses, charities etc., it allows researchers to have impact throughout the project which is far more beneficial for society and the REF case studies.
- Impact literacy is vital
- Your research could have good impact, but if that is not emphasised in the right way, it could get lost. Impact by REF 2021 standards will be examined via case studies, so it is important that these are well articulated and communicated effectively. It could be that the work is impactful but it is not explained effectively, so that gets missed in the assessment process. Impact must be evidenced, which is why it is important to think about this early on in the research project. Examples of evidence are anything that proves there is some change or effect of the work, this may include testimonials, policy or practice change, awards, or survey data. So we are going above and beyond just having impactful research, in the sense that this must be evidenced too.
Overall, this was an interesting seminar with some useful information and tips. It is something I will personally be thinking about as I carry out my PhD. Although I won't necessarily be included in the REF 2021 assessment as a PhD newbie, it is still something to keep in mind for the future. To me, a PhD is about learning and practicing the skills involved in being a researcher, and at the moment the future is REF, which means impact and quality outputs are something I do have to be prepared for. I hope this blog post is helpful to other PhD students and early career researchers.
Thank you to the University of Lincoln Doctoral School for putting this workshop on.
