Description
Book SynopsisGlobally, researchers are being asked to plan for and demonstrate the impact that their research has on culture, society, health, and the economy. Higher education is changing, moving away from rewarding academics primarily for peer-reviewed academic publications and asking academics to report on how their work contributes to society more broadly.
For many academics, impact poses a worrisome proposition. Impact has not generally been integrated into PhD training and many universities have been slow to respond to the emerging impact agenda, leaving a knowledge, training, and support gap. The Impactful Academic offers a holistic, all-of-career approach to impact aimed at active researchers and those who support research impact. It ruminates on the question of what an academic with impact looked like in the past, and what it will look like going forward as concepts around impact are solidified by government and granting agencies. The authors come from various backgrounds including engaged scholars who are generating impact, and impact professionals who have been critical to supporting academics across disciplines on their impact journeys. The reader will emerge with more than an impact plan for a single research project or grant, but rather a holistic, career-centric approach to impact.
Trade ReviewThe Impactful Academic is a must read for the academic community. It effortlessly demystifies impact, bringing together a range of expert voices whose collective experience covers everything from planning pathways through to demonstrating effects. The book is full of actionable advice from those working within the research sector, reflecting the realities of ‘doing impact’ in a range of settings and within differing national agendas. The Impactful Academic will steer any reader in the right direction as they embark on impact for the first time or are looking to strengthen their existing practice.
-- Dr Julie Bayley, Director of Research Impact Development & the Lincoln Impact Literacy Institute, University of Lincoln, UK
Written in an accessible and colloquial style, The Impactful Academic is a how-to guide for academics with the courage to step out their comfort zone and dip their toe into the impact world to demonstrate the benefits of the work they do. Authors lure the reader into a reflective impact state of mind while providing actionable tips on how to immerse themselves in impactful scholarship. For those keen to become more impactful, this book will prepare you for the journey. Essential reading for early career academics and those seeking faculty promotion.
-- Melanie Barwick, Senior Scientist, SickKids Research Institute,
The Impactful Academic is a comprehensive guide that includes everything an academic needs to achieve impact from their research. It contains invaluable practical advice that is both evidence-based and accessible, drawing on experience from around the world. This is an essential guide to impact for early career and senior researchers alike.
-- Mark Reed, CEO, Fast Track Impact
The Impactful Academic provides practical strategies for success in a contemporary landscape that values societal impact. This book is a valuable resource for those in the early stages of their academic careers, for senior scholars embarking on new projects with community partners, and for university staff and administrators who support impact work. The book’s focus on self-assessment and reflection, including tips and techniques from experts working in various disciplinary contexts, means there is something here for everyone. By covering such topics as community engagement strategies, research translation practices, and ways to track evidence of impact, this book serves as a go-to guide for academics to foster social change and make a difference in the world.
-- Prof Lisa M. Given, Director, Social Change Enabling Capability Platform and Professor of Information Sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
Table of ContentsPreface; Andrew Hill
Chapter 1. Impact primer: The what, why, and how of impact; Wade Kelly
Chapter 2. Identifying and leveraging collegial and institutional supports for impact; Rebekah Willson
Chapter 3. Strategic digital engagement for impact: Building your academic presence online; Erika Smith and Richard Hayman
Chapter 4. Writing impact for grants — Pack your bags. We are going on an impact journey!; Lucy Jowett and Alisha Peart
Chapter 5. Towards impact: Best Practices in community and stakeholder engagement; Caroline Osborne
Chapter 6. Knowledge Mobilization: Creating a path to impact; Lauren Albrecht and Catherine M. Scott
Chapter 7. Demonstrating impact: Considerations for collecting and communicating the evidence of impact; David Phipps, Anneliese Poetz, and Michael Johnny
Chapter 8. The long view: Building an impact plan on your terms; Faith Welch
Chapter 9. Towards the Impactful Academic: The Impactful Researcher’s Settings for Success; Wade Kelly
