Embedding Impact and Engagement
| DOI | 10.1111/2041-9066.12036 |
| Published date | 01 December 2013 |
| Author | Katherine Tonkiss,Katharine Dommett |
| Date | 01 December 2013 |
| Subject Matter | Original Article |
Embedding Impact and
Engagement
They may be the new benchmarks for successful political science research, but impact and engagement are
often seen by academics as an add-on. Katharine Dommett and Katherine Tonkiss discuss how impact and
engagement can be integrated within research projects to maximise their success.
Academic conferences can
reveal much about the state
of a discipline. Over the last
few years we have, like many aca-
demics, attended sessions pondering
‘The Future of Political Science?’,
‘The Social Relevance and “Impact”
of Political Science’ and ‘What is the
Public Value of Social Science?’. In
all these discussions, two ideas are
commonplace: first, academics must
show the demonstrable impact of
their research; and second, they
must engage the public in a two-
way communication about project
findings.
It might be easy to dismiss impact
and engagement, but these markers
have become accepted objectives
for academic research and as such
cannot be simply ignored. As schol-
ars we are increasingly required to
append our existing duties as teach-
ers, administrators, researchers, bid
writers and lecturers with activities
that demonstrate the tangible value
of our research and maximise
dissemination.
Against this backdrop, many
academics have adopted an ‘add-on’
approach to impact and engage-
ment, injecting often tokenistic ac-
tivities into research plans in order
to maximise the apparent impact
and footprint of research. While
understandable, we argue that such
activities can result in significant ad-
ditional labour for limited returns.
Instead, it is easier and more effec-
tive to adopt an approach to research
management that sees impact and
engagement not as extras but as
integral to research development.
It is in this spirit that we embarked
Impact and
engagement
have become
accepted
objectives
for academic
research and
cannot be
simply ignored
Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, addresses the
Global University Summit in London. Impact and engagement are becoming
increasingly important markers of successful academic research
Press Association
34 Political Insight
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