Methodologies
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Methodologies for research impact

As funders increasingly require evidence the benefit of the research that they have supported, interest grows in methodologies to best assess these benefits and plan to ensure that they are achieved.

This section presents methodologies for both the planning and the assessment of research impact with focus being beyond the academic environment. As research even within specific disciplines is vastly varied so too are the benefits or perceived benefits of these efforts which immediately poses a dilemma in planning for, but also in the comprehensive assessment of research impact. This dilemma has given rise to different approaches for measuring and assessment of research impact.

Planning for research impact increases the likelihood of the research making a positive difference in the world. Resources for impact planning help researchers to identify who in society will likely benefit from the research that they are undertaking, decide how researchers can connect with the right people to ensure that the impacts are achieved, engage these stakeholders in the research process and relay to others about the potential impact.

Concerning the assessment or evaluation of research impact, much have been written about and five broad types of research impact evaluation are commonly proposed (e.g. Reed et al., 2021):

  • Systems analysis methods: pathways to impact, establishment of causation links, etc.
  • Textual, oral and arts-based methods: case studies, interviews, testimonials, etc.
  • Indicator-based approaches: focus on indicators or any type demonstration of impact from process of change.
  • Evidence synthesis approaches: mixed evaluation methods to establish cause and effect.

Impact toolkits

Research Impact Toolkit (ENLIGHT. University of Galway)

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Ghent University impact toolkit for researchers (ENLIGHT. Ghent University)

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Broader Impacts Toolkit. ARIS: Advancing Research Impact in Society

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Europeana Impact Playbook

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Impact Resources. Vertigo Ventures

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Knowledge Translation Tools. Melanie Barwick Consulting: Building Research Impact

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LSE Impact Blog: a platform for understanding and increasing the impact of academic research

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Research Impact Canada: Turning Research Into Action

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Research to Action: The Global Guide to Research Impact

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RRI Toolkit

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UCD Research Impact Toolkit

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Impact planning

Research Impact Toolkit: Plan (ENLIGHT. University of Galway)

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Engaged Research Planning for Impact (Irish Universities Association (IUA) Campus Engage)

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Fast Track Impact Planning Template (Professor Mark Reed, Newcastle University)

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Impact Literacy Workbook: Helping you demonstrate the provable effects of your research in the real world

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Stakeholder Analysis Template (Professor Mark Reed, Newcastle University)

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Supporting PIs to Plan for Research Impact (Principal Investigator Impact, CÚRAM (Research Centre for Medical Devices)

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Theory of Change (Center for Theory of Change)

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UCD Research Impact Toolkit: Impact Planning Canvas

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Impact measurement and assessment

ENLIGHT Methodology for the Impact Assessment of Higher Education Initiatives

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Sustainable Development Goals Indicators

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SDG Impact Assessment Tool (Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development)

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Horizon Europe Key Impact Pathways

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UK Research Excellence Framework

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Australia’s National Science Agency Impact Evaluation Guide

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San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)

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The Leiden Manifesto for research metrics (Diana Hicks, Paul Wouters, Ludo Waltman, Sarah de Rikcke, Ismael Rafolds)

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IRIS Catalog of metrics

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Next generation metrics: Responsible metrics and evaluation for open science

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Altmetric for Researchers

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ISRIA statement: ten-point guidelines for an effective process of research impact assessment

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Research Impact Toolkit: Monitor (ENLIGHT. University of Galway)

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Researcher Impact Framework: Building Audience-Focused Evidence-Based Impact Narratives. Giovanna Lima, Sarah Bowman. Trinity College Dublin

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Hunter Medical Research Institute: Research Impact Assessment

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Methods for analyzing collaboration and societal impact (The Swedish Research Council)

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Impact Evaluation – Better Evaluation

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How Do You Know If You Are Making a Difference? A Practical Handbook for Public Service Organisations. Sarah Morton and Ailsa Cook. Matter of Focus.

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Impactful research case studies

ENLIGHT Impact Story. ChildMove. Ilse Derluyn. Ghent University

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ENLIGHT Impact Story. Interactive tool for assessing and modelling crisis vulnerability. Kati Orru. University of Tartu

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ENLIGHT Impact Story. Precision Medicine Network in Complex Diseases. Idoia Martin Guerrero. UPV/EHU.

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ENLIGHT Impact Story. Tracking Adaptation Progress in Agriculture and Food Security Using an AI-powered Satellite Remote Sensing Platform (TAPAS). Aaron Golden. University of Galway

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ENLIGH Impact Story. Tuam Oral History Project. Sarah-Anne Buckley. University of Galway

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ENLIGHT Impact Pilot Case Studies: Narratives with Numbers

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Impact in beeld. Joram Tarusarira. (ENLIGHT. University of Groningen)

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Impact in beeld: Fit en Vaardig op de basisschool met Esther Hartman (ENLIGHT. University of Groningen)

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Impact in beeld. René Veenstra over pesten. (ENLIGHT. University of Groningen)

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Impact in Focus. Lisa Herzog. (ENLIGHT. University of Groningen)

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Impact in focus. Oscar Franken. (ENLIGHT. University of Groningen)

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Our view of societal impact: bringing knowledge and skills to the working world. (ENLIGHT. University of Groningen)

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Knowledge Valorisation Platform. European Commission. Research and Innovation

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Horizon Results Platform

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UK Research Excellence Framework – Case Studies

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Australian Research Council Impact Studies

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Social Impact Open Repository (SIOR)

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Success stories about the impact of Ghent University research (ENLIGHT. Ghent University)

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Impact of EU-funded research impact at Ghent University (ENLIGHT. Ghent University)

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Research Impact Case Studies (ENLIGHT. University of Galway)

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Imperial College London – Case Studies

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University College Dublin – Impact Case Studies

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University of Cambridge – Case Studies Worldwide Mapping

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Other specific impact pathway approaches

Creating the conditions for uptake in higher education partnerships for sustainable development. VLIR-UOS

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Evidence-informed policy making. European Commission

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IMPACTLAB. Utrecht University

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ENLIGHT-PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WEBINAR 2: IMPACT OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

Webinar

Impacttool. Erasmus+ Dutch National Agencies Erasmus+

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Open Science Intervention Logic. Open Science Impact Pathways

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Planning your public engagement. Wellcome

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Principal Investigator Impact: Research in Medical Devices

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Public Engagement Evaluation Toolkit. Queen Mary University of London

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Resources for high quality engagement. UK National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement

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