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What is research impact?
There are several varieties of research impact depending on the context
‘Impact’ has catapulted to stardom in the academic world in recent years – it’s the word on everyone’s lips, the tune everyone’s singing. But what does it really mean, and to whom?
Key takeaways
Research impact means benefits or positive changes from your work.
Impact varies by context and can be retrospective or prospective.
Impacts range from academic advancements to real-world benefits.
It can take time for research impact to materialise as others take up or engage with your research.
The potential for impact beyond academia depends on your discipline.
Read time: 2 min
In the broadest sense, ‘impact’ means the benefits or positive changes that have resulted, or may result, from your research.
Varieties of research impact
Despite the simple definition above, when it comes to specifics the word can have different meanings in different contexts. Watch the video to learn more.
Probably the most common usage of ‘research impact’ internationally is: benefits beyond academia that have already happened. Although this definition is often used in Australia, others are too depending on the context.
Impact can occur within or beyond academia, and can be retrospective (has already happened) or prospective (might happen in the future).
Impact beyond vs. within academia
There are two major categories of impact:
- Impact within academia: Benefits for research and other academics, and might mean significant advances for the field, or your work being used by other researchers. This type of impact is also sometimes known as 'academic impact' or 'knowledge impact'.
- Impact beyond academia: Benefits arising outside of research; often considered under broad categories such as economy, health, environment, society, culture, depending on the nature of the impact. This type of impact is also sometimes called 'real world impact' or 'societal impact'.
Everyone should have some impact within academia, but only some people will have impact beyond academia. The likelihood of this will depend on your discipline, the disciplines you collaborate with, your career stage, and how translational your work is by nature.
Remember that impacts come in all shapes and sizes, and it takes time for research to be taken up and used by others and the downstream benefits realised. This is especially true for real world impact.
Retrospective vs. prospective impact
Another way to classify impact is in terms of its chronology:
- Retrospective (past) impact: These are benefits that have already happened, such as the uptake of your research findings, or changes that have flowed from that. You should be able to identify it, and evidence it. This type of impact commonly forms part of your track record in funding or prize applications.
- Prospective (future) impact: This is the potential impact that might occur in the future as a result of your work. This type of impact is what is described in the ‘benefits’ or ‘significance’ sections of a research proposal, for example.
Typically, when people talk about research impact they are referring to retrospective impact.
Research translation, or research impact?
Research translation is a term often used in the science for the process by which research moves out of academia and is applied in the ‘real world’. Research translation is a process; research impact is the benefits.