DR IAN BARRON UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WORK Towards 4* and Impact

Impact – lessons learned Some reflections “ Begin with the end in mind” – your hearts desire (authentic, drive, persistence, patience & bounce back) Be ‘in’ the field (practice base/ethnographic) Know what the problem is (local, national and international) Know your ‘stuff’ (Traumatisation/T recovery) Build trusting relationships at multiple levels over the long haul Attract the best partners - related to the problem/you as a resource Go where the energy is - & serendipity

Impact strategy cont. ‘Change’ strategy – interventionist & policy change, not just a researcher - Awards Funding strategy - (Seed money; Scot Gov; NGO’s; Grants/awards; Collaborations) Writing strategy – high impact, collaborate with the best Relationship with public engagement (invite to fund and research) Be explicit with partners about recording impact (websites; reports … ) Find the best of templates (mirror them for your context) “Don’t despise the day of small beginnings”

Impact Criteria: Reach (how widely felt) & Significance (difference made to beneficiaries) Four star World leading outstanding impacts in terms of their reach and significance Three star Very considerable impacts in terms of their reach and significance Two star Considerable impacts in terms of their reach and significance One star Recognised but modest impacts in terms of their reach and significance Unclassified The impact is of little or no reach and significance; or the impact was not eligible; or the impact was not underpinned by excellent research produced by the submitted unit

Activity: Making your own judgement Please read the two impact case studies (snippets) How well do they fit the criteria? What’s your * judgment How could they be improved?

Discovering ‘your’ impact What are your ‘best hopes’ for your research/scholarship to be impactful? - Who beyond academia are the beneficiaries? - How do they benefit? (health, social, culture, public policy, economics, environment, quality of life) - Who partner with? - Where fund? Where would you scale how impactful you are at the moment from 0-10? What will you need to do to move one step up? Who can help you in this?

4* World Leading Writing Originality significance & rigor Lead the field’s agenda - frontier topics (high citations) Major influence on research theme New paradigms New conceptual understandings, novel ideas, knowledge Discoveries (the pioneers) Synthesising the field – meta analysis Implications for policy practice Important 1sts – e.g. new form of measurement/unique tool, step changes Not necessarily grant led – serendipitous

Differences with 3* Internationally excellent Importance vs major importance Significant change to policy vs major change to policy Both troublesome to define, so … If your immersed in the field “you know it when you see it” Focus on 4* maybe hit 3* At the end of the day – what is your legacy / REF as route to excellence

4* Tips Find 4* examples and critique them Send papers to highest impact journal possible – get rigor of critique Know the journal style & rigor of research designs Seek reviewers from within & beyond & across School/disciplines - best academics & stakeholders Write with others who write well

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