Writing research impact statements

Research drives innovation by generating new ideas or ways of doing things and, in turn, contributes to society (Chapman, 2014). Increasingly, attention is being given to demonstrating and measuring the return on research investment and the benefits generated from research, for example, by the Australian Research Council (ARC) especially in terms of environmental, economic, and social impact (ARC, 2015). In a perfect world all research undertaken would have impact (Cleary, Siegfried, Jackson, & Hunt, 2013). However, the ARC definition of impact requires the researcher to make a demonstrable contribution “to the economy, society, culture, national security, public policy or services, health, the environment, or quality of life, beyond contributions to academia.” Measuring research impact is known to be challenging and takes many years to achieve (Cleary et al., 2013). Equally, making judgements about research impact is fraught with complexity although frameworks exist that may guide determinations (Morgan, 2014). Jaffe’s (2015) impact evaluation framework is designed to inform decision-makers about the scope of potential research outcomes and has ready applicability for nursing research. The five components of the framework are: - capability (improvements in workforce capability); - environmental (enhancements in the natural environment); - financial (creation of job opportunities or improved services); - public policy (impacts relating to legislation, public policy, or regulations); and - social, cultural or community (benefits enhancing cultural values, health and safety, international reputation and contribution). Whilst it will not necessarily be possible for all research to be evaluated according to the elements of this framework, this tool nonetheless may assist researchers (and authors) in identifying potentially important evidence of the impact of their work as well as facets that might otherwise have been overlooked. The framework and associated impact measures are also useful for funding providers to inform decisions about financial resources to be dedicated to research (Jaffe, 2015). There is an increasing expectation that researcher(s) will plan (aspirational) impact when undertaking research. This includes more than traditional research outputs (publications and competitive funding), but the need to demonstrate impact such as knowledge transfer (e.g., collaborations), application of research to practice, community benefit and the impact of the research on policies, laws, and regulations (eg see https://becker.wustl.edu/impact-assessment) (King, 2011). This is increasingly crucial in any research assessment including research grant applications (Cleary et al., 2013).