What are the most effective methods for evaluating HE research project impact on academic community?

2 Choose your impact indicators

Once you have defined your impact goals, you need to select the indicators that will help you measure and demonstrate your impact. Indicators are specific, measurable, and verifiable aspects of your impact that can be collected and analysed. For example, you may need to use academic impact indicators such as peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, or research collaborations. You may also need to use engagement impact indicators such as social media posts, blogs, podcasts, or webinars. Additionally, influence impact indicators like citations in policy documents, invitations to advisory boards, or consultations with practitioners may be necessary. Depending on your impact goals, different types of indicators may be required.

3 Collect your impact evidence

Once you have chosen your impact indicators, you need to collect the evidence that supports them. Evidence is the data or information that verifies or demonstrates your impact and can be validated by others. Evidence can be sourced from bibliometric databases, such as Scopus, Web of Science, or Google Scholar, which can provide metrics like the number, quality, and impact factor of your publications, the number and diversity of your citations, or the h-index of your research output. Additionally, altmetric databases like Altmetric, PlumX, or Impactstory can offer metrics such as the number and type of mentions, shares, or likes of your research on social media, blogs, news outlets, and other platforms. Primary sources including surveys, interviews, testimonials, feedback, or case studies are also direct and firsthand sources that document or illustrate your impact. These sources can provide qualitative insights into the perceptions, experiences, or outcomes of your research on your academic community.

4 Analyse your impact data

Once you have collected your impact evidence, you need to analyse and interpret it in relation to your impact goals. Analysis involves examining, summarising, and explaining the data to identify patterns, trends, or gaps. Descriptive analysis is used to present and describe the data with tables, charts, graphs, or other visual tools. It can help show the magnitude, distribution, or frequency of the indicators and compare them to benchmarks, baselines, or targets. Inferential analysis tests and draws conclusions from the data using statistical or logical techniques. It can help infer causal, correlational, or predictive relationships between the indicators and assess the significance, reliability, or validity of the data. Lastly, narrative analysis tells and explains the impact story using words, images, or sounds. It can help illustrate the context, process, or outcome of the impact and highlight any challenges, successes, or lessons learned.

5 Communicate your impact findings

After analysing your impact data, it is important to communicate your findings to your academic community and other relevant audiences. Communication is the process of sharing and disseminating the results, and demonstrating the value of your research. This can be done using various formats, such as reports, presentations, and stories. Reports are formal documents that present and discuss impact findings in detail, while presentations are oral and visual displays that summarise and highlight them in an engaging way. Stories are informal narratives that illustrate and explain impact findings in a personal way. They can include blogs, testimonials, case studies, or infographics.