Science Communication: Practice

In this final session, we look at the basic pillars of a science communication and impact strategy, based on the Research Impact Canvas (Fecher & Kobsda 2018).

The Research Impact Canvas is a structured guide to help plan an effective communication and impact strategy. It consists of five modules:

1. Value (i.e., the value you want the impact project to deliver to a specific audience)
2. Translation (i.e., the formats, channels, and windows of opportunity to realize that value)
3. Operation (i.e., the resources, operational steps, and collaborators you need to do so)
4. Budgeting (i.e., the costs incurred by the project), and
5. Evaluation (i.e., the foreseeable positive and negative effects from the project).

You find the Research Impact Canvas in the download section.

TASK

1. Choose a best practice example for societal impact from your field of studies (e.g., a project that one of your professors did or a project that you learned about in the media). Be aware: We are not looking for cases of scientific impact (i.e. how research resonated with the scholarly community) but for cases of societal impact (i.e. how research resonated with society).
2. Discuss with a fellow student, why the case you chose is a best practice, using the Research Impact Canvas.