Guide to Communicating Research Beyond Academia

by Mihaela Gruia

Millions of pounds worth of research funding are awarded every year. The Government have encouraged researchers to share the impact of their work. The institutional pressures to communicate impact are here to stay.

“But how?” you might ask, “How do I start telling the world about my research in an easy to understand way?”

You’ve come to the right place.

Get the guide

More and more researchers are realising that the world is not going to “beat a path to their door”. All too often, sadly, research is ignored by peers, industry, potential collaborators and funders.

Researchers have a role to play in shaping the narrative presented in the media. Their work can inform debates and provide evidence on pressing issues facing our society. Above all, research needs to be related in human terms for it to be understood and acted on.

So if you want people to read your research and for it to have an impact how do you start?

I believe that your research findings need to get the attention they deserve.

This requires an accessible and engaging format to engage people with your work. That’s why I’ve written this guide. It’s time for researchers to be bolder with sharing their work in formats that reflect how we communicate and share information.

Therefore, if you want to tell the world about your research in an engaging, accessible and visual format, this guide will help you. I promise (I’ll tell you more about this below).

Whether you’re just starting out in academia or you’re an experienced researcher in how to push your message into the world, the Guide to Communicating Research Beyond Academia gives you a step-by-step guide to create a visual summary of your findings and unleash the potential of your research to make an impact in society.

“I’m thrilled to mark our official one year anniversary with this guide! It’s been a labour of love to bring this to life and share my learning and insights with our community of researchers. I would love to receive your feedback on the content, so do get in touch.”

Mihaela Gruia, Author,
Founder and Director

The 32-page guide will help you:

See the value of communicating your research beyond academia
Think about why this is important and how you can be strategic about it
Learn some communication formats available to you
Develop the skills to craft your own 2-page visual summary based on your findings
Discover interesting ideas of how you can disseminate your summary beyond academia

Incorporating lessons that work for researchers

See the value of communicating your research beyond academia
Think about why this is important and how you can be strategic about it
Learn some communication formats available to you
Develop the skills to craft your own 2-page visual summary based on your findings
Discover interesting ideas of how you can disseminate your summary beyond academia

The guide includes contributions from thought leaders in academia, who excel at communicating their research, as well as media and business individuals who believe in the importance of research being used in society.

Download 2 free chapters today.

Name*

First Last

Happy to give us feedback on the chapters?

Yes

No

Organisation*

Email*

How did you find out about us?*

CAPTCHA

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By downloading these chapters you agree to be signed up to our newsletter of research communication. This is a bi-monthly email packed with updates and information about communicating research in accessible and visual ways. You can unsubcribe at any time.

“This is a very practical guide that helped me create a summary of one of my evaluation projects! The checklists, tips, call to action exercises, examples and case studies are really easy to follow and useful. The author writes in a friendly, clear manner, with empathy for a researcher’s struggles and priorities.”

Natalie Nelissen, Research Fellow, mHabitat

“Having worked with plenty of policymakers, I know that a 60-page report isn’t going to get me anywhere. This is an excellent guide that helped me see how targeted policy briefs can be more effective at disseminating research findings than the Executive Summary.”

Dr Annie Austin, Research Associate, University of Manchester

“This is a very practical guide that helped me create a summary of one of my evaluation projects! The checklists, tips, call to action exercises, examples and case studies are really easy to follow and useful. The author writes in a friendly, clear manner, with empathy for a researcher’s struggles and priorities.”

Natalie Nelissen, Research Fellow, mHabitat

“Having worked with plenty of policymakers, I know that a 60-page report isn’t going to get me anywhere. This is an excellent guide that helped me see how targeted policy briefs can be more effective at disseminating research findings than the Executive Summary.”

Dr Annie Austin, Research Associate, University of Manchester

“This is a very practical guide that helped me create a summary of one of my evaluation projects! The checklists, tips, call to action exercises, examples and case studies are really easy to follow and useful. The author writes in a friendly, clear manner, with empathy for a researcher’s struggles and priorities.”

Natalie Nelissen, Research Fellow, mHabitat

“Having worked with plenty of policymakers, I know that a 60-page report isn’t going to get me anywhere. This is an excellent guide that helped me see how targeted policy briefs can be more effective at disseminating research findings than the Executive Summary.”

Dr Annie Austin, Research Associate, University of Manchester

Buy the Guide to Communicating Research Beyond Academia

How much value would a collaboration with stakeholders interested in your research be worth to you? Could it lead to new research grants? Invitations to conferences? Industry collaborations? More recognition?

If you invest time in creating an accessible visual summary of your work and make a connection or land a research grant, it’s worthwhile. By not communicating your research clearly, you may be missing out on opportunities.

The Guide to Communicating Research Beyond Academia is priced at just £17.99 (incl postage).

Inside you’ll get practical tips on what questions get to the heart of your key messages, such as:

How to structure your content
How to make it visually appealing
How to successfully disseminate it

Bulk orders are popular with organisations and buying multiple copies for researchers they support: £65 for 5 copies, £125 for 10 copies, and £185 for 20 copies.

We’ll post your copy of the guide, normally within 24-48 hours of your order. If you’d prefer to receive an invoice and pay by BACS please email me.

What’s next?

If you’d prefer to receive an invoice and pay by BACS please email me and I’ll sort this out for you.

Please contact me with any questions, bulk order requests or if you’d like to discuss a workshop about communicating research.

“Research Retold’s guide is a really well-written resource and a pleasure to read. It offers the right balance of solid information presented in a relaxed way. Very useful especially for early career academics and later years PhDs as well as other professionals who want to ensure they present the best version of themselves.”

Tony Carroll, Business Development Manager, University of Warwick

“This is a good and useful guide. I’m a visual person, so I’m a fan of the pages that use images and minimal text to make the point.”

Dr Jack Holland, Associate Professor, University of Leeds

“Research Retold’s guide is a really well-written resource and a pleasure to read. It offers the right balance of solid information presented in a relaxed way. Very useful especially for early career academics and later years PhDs as well as other professionals who want to ensure they present the best version of themselves.”

Tony Carroll, Business Development Manager, University of Warwick

“This is a good and useful guide. I’m a visual person, so I’m a fan of the pages that use images and minimal text to make the point.”

Dr Jack Holland, Associate Professor, University of Leeds

“Research Retold’s guide is a really well-written resource and a pleasure to read. It offers the right balance of solid information presented in a relaxed way. Very useful especially for early career academics and later years PhDs as well as other professionals who want to ensure they present the best version of themselves.”

Tony Carroll, Business Development Manager, University of Warwick

“This is a good and useful guide. I’m a visual person, so I’m a fan of the pages that use images and minimal text to make the point.”

Dr Jack Holland, Associate Professor, University of Leeds

Further resources mentioned in the guide

Canva: software you can use to create a visual summary www.canva.com

Canva tutorials: www.canva.com/learn/getting-started-with-canva-video-tutorials

Piktochart: similar software to Canva with which you can create infographics www.piktochart.com

Data Illustrator: www.data-illustrator.com

Tableau: data visualisation software www.tableau.com

Flaticon: a database of free icons you can use within presentations, reports and summaries. Some paid-for options available too. You must attribute use to Flaticon www.flaticon.com

Open Heatmap: turns spreadsheets into heatmaps www.openheatmap.com

Evergreen Data: intentional data visualisation and evaluation reporting www.stephanieevergreen.com