Impact Services
Our mission: to help researchers and institutions better understand and tackle impact
Impact Services is a collection of online resources to support researchers in understanding and planning for impact.
Created in collaboration with innovative thought leaders, universities and institutions, all aiming to make "impact culture" a daily reality for researchers, our impact resources support building impact literacy and healthy impact culture.
Impact resources
Supporting research that transforms lives and shapes futures.
We understand that planning for impact can be time-consuming, complex and even confusing, so we have created solutions that will lighten the load.
Whether you are a researcher or work in the research office, we recognise everyone’s role is different, so we have developed a range of resources you can tap into to help navigate your path to impact and ultimately achieve better research outcomes for you and your institution.
Institutional healthcheck workbook
The Institutional Healthcheck Workbook is designed to help institutions consider how ‘healthy’ they are in terms of supporting and generating impact, and identify how they can improve it. This workbook was created by Dr. Julie Bayley from the University of Lincoln, UK, and Dr. David Phipps from York University, Canada.
Dr. Julie Bayley is an expert in research impact and health psychology, focusing on how research can create real-world benefits. Dr. David Phipps is known for his work in knowledge mobilisation, helping to bridge the gap between research and practical application.
Open the institutional healthcheck workbook
Impact literacy workbook
The Impact Literacy Workbook helps researchers understand and demonstrate the real-world effects of their work.
It provides tools and exercises to integrate impact at any research stage, emphasising the importance of mapping, connecting, and assessing research outcomes.
Open the impact literacy workbook
Creating Meaningful Impact by Julie Bailey
Taking you from basic concepts through to principles of practice, impact expert Julie Bayley demystifies impact and guides you on the path to understanding the why, what, who and how of research-led change.
Dr Julie Bayley is Director of Research Impact Development and Director of the Lincoln Impact Literacy Institute (LILI) at the University of Lincoln, UK. She is a research-active Health Psychologist and has delivered impact consultancy around the sector for many years.
Your impact primer
Wade Kelly’s book The Impactful Academic empowers you to build a research career that makes a difference. Here’s Wade’s quick guide to the "what, why and how" of impact.
Where did impact come from?
The concept of impact has been around for many years, but it is in the past decade that formal definitions have started to emerge.
Who are my stakeholders?
Stakeholders will vary depending on the project. Whoever your stakeholders are, your relationship with them should be based on mutual respect, equity, trust and shared goals
So how do I 'do impact'?
Impact isn’t something that you do, it’s something that you live. Impact is about your research philosophy: the belief that the new knowledge you generate must be adopted and applied to be of real value.
Start your impact journey
Read chapter 1 of The Impactful Academic for free.
What is impact?
Impact is all about change: change of practice, policy, health outcomes; money generated or saved. Impact is about positive change for your stakeholders.
"An effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia."
– UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) –
"The contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research."
– Australian Research Council (ARC) –
Testimonials
Impact Services is a major step change for the way publishers support impact in the research sector. It not only harnesses the expertise and experience of those working with impact but reflects the realities of implementing provision within a pressurised academic environment. I have been consistently and deeply impressed by Emerald’s commitment to supporting researchers and research managers – a motivation to help the sector that’s so commonly missing from other initiatives – and am indebted to them for driving this work into practice. The value of this work is both measurable – in the changes to practice and provision – but also immeasurable in the way it supports individuals to truly feel supported to do impact.
Emerald's Impact Services have helped sense-check our strategic actions and provided inspiration for additional activities.
I always say researchers don’t make products – industry does; they don’t develop policy – government does; they don’t deliver social services – community does. So we need to demonstrate impact through the voices of those who are using the evidence.
ALPSP Awards for Innovation in Publishing 2022
Emerald Publishing was shortlisted for the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) award for Innovation in Publishing for its Impact Services.
Want to help us create impact-related resourses?
Supporting a culture of impact – championing impact literacy.
If you’d like to support us with the creation of new impact resources, or to discuss any of the resources we currently offer, please get in touch.