This guide will help you to structure a research brieng. It provides a
set of quesons and prompts to consider before you start wring, a
suggested structure and praccal ps.
Write a research brieng
How to...
Knowledge Exchange 'How to' guides for the College of Arts, Humanies & Social Sciences
1. What is the purpose of a research brieng?
Research Briengs provide a concise summary of your research and its relevance to policy and/
or pracce, in plain English. You can use them to present informaon imparally and map out
opons; or, alternavely, you can advocate a parcular opon based on your ndings. Which is
most appropriate will depend on your project and stakeholders.
Printed copies are useful as a ‘calling card’ at meengs and to share at events, in delegate packs
or on a stand. If you have a website, blog or social media presence, think about how you can use
them to engage your audiences. They may also provide a hook for media coverage or be useful as
the basis for an opinion piece in a relevant publicaon. If you have a Communicaons Ocer, they
will be able to provide advice, as will the Press Oce.
2. Who is your target audience?
You are wring for non-academics: policymakers,
analysts, praconers and others who formulate,
inuence or implement policy. Your reader is not a
specialist in your area, and is likely to be very busy.
S/he is interested in the substanve issue and
how it relates to the current context, rather than
the methodology. You will need to situate your
research within the current policy and pracce
context and make clear links for them.
3. When should I write a research brieng?
Policymakers and praconers are interested
in policy relevant research as it progresses. You
can write a brieng at any stage in a project; in
fact you may want to plan a number of briengs
throughout a project.
Ask yourself how you can generate conversaon
around your Research Brieng(s). Speaking with
research users during a project allows you to hear
what would be most useful to them and usefully
inform the direcon of the research.
Title
Summary
Key points, ndings or recommendaons for policy or pracce
Introducon
The body (the main text)
4. How should I structure my research brieng?
A Research Brieng is generally between 2 and 8 sides of A4. There are many ways to structure the content;
have a look around and see what peers or competors are doing. Here is one suggested structure (see boxes
on page 3 for more detail):
In addion, you should include some of the following: boxes and sidebars, cases, tables, graphics,
photographs, quotaons from a source credible to your audience.
Knowledge Exchange 'How to' guides for the College of Arts, Humanies & Social Sciences
5. How to use boxes, tables, graphics and images eecvely
Boxes are useful for denions, explanaons, lists, and examples to illustrate points in the text. They
should have a clear tle and be understandable on their own. Consider using 1 or 2 boxes of 100-150
words. Remember to reference them in the text.
Tables need to be simple. Would a graph be beer? Make the tle talk, e.g., ‘irrigaon boosts yields’
rather than ‘comparison of yields on irrigated and non-irrigated land’. Give the source of informaon.
If using diagrams/graphs/maps, choose the type of graphic that best suits the informaon you are
presenng e.g., a bar/pie to compare gures and a line graphs for me series. Give it an explanatory
tle. Don’t cluer your graphic. What is most important to show? Remember that most people
prinng in an oce will print in black and white.
Images make your Research Brieng more eye-catching and therefore more likely to be read. Use
them, and the capons, to illustrate your ndings, recommendaons or conclusions.
Look around for examples you like and borrow the elements that work for your brieng:
Evidence Note from
ESPA
http://edin.ac/1OjLb0A
Research ndings from I’DGO
http://edin.ac/24eNuOi
Research brieng from
AQMeN
http://edin.ac/24eNkGv
Keep it short.
Make it catchy but ensure you use relevant key words. Try using an unusual turn of phrase or a queson.
Keep it to the point - make sure it is relevant to the topic.
Title
What are the main points you want your audience to get, even if they read nothing else?
Put these in larger font or in a box, on the front page.
Summary
In academic wring, you work up to reveal your conclusions at the end. A Research Brieng is
the opposite! You need to keep conclusions short (5 or 6 is enough) and make them easy to nd.
Put them on the front page, as part of the summary or immediately aer it, or in a separate box or
sidebar.
Key points, ndings or recommendaons for policy or pracce
The aim here is to grab the reader’s aenon, introduce the topic and say why it is important.
Aim for 100 words.
You could introduce the topic, say why it is important, give basic background and context, outline
why your research is relevant to the topic.
Or you could introduce a problem; say why it is important; summarise what happens, to whom
and where; outline the eects of the current situaon.
Introducon
Trying to edit a long academic paper into a short policy focused one is impossible. Take a step back, think of
the big picture and write from scratch.
Ask yourself (again): What problem does the research address? What were you trying to nd? What did you
nd? How is it relevant to current debate? What will be of interest to your audience? What do you want them
to do as a result of reading your Research Brieng?
Guide the reader. Use sub-headings, short paragraphs, boxes, graphs or images, or quotaons from
policymakers or praconers.
Ask yourself ‘so what?’ aer every paragraph that you write.
Use clear, simple, easy to understand language (e.g., the level of a broadsheet newspaper). Avoid academic,
technical and methodological terms or the jargon of your discipline. Keep headings short and clear, and keep
sentences and paragraphs short.
The body (main text)
If you require this document in an alternative format, e.g., large print,
please contact Emma Giles on [email protected] / 0131 650 9370.
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336
This guide was produced by the CAHSS Knowledge Exchange Ofce. We help colleagues to engage with industry, policy
and practice to maximise the impact of their research. Find out more at www.ed.ac.uk/cahss/rke
Written by Laura Cockram, informed by: ‘Writing Effective Reports: Preparing Policy Briefs’ available at www.fao.org/
Knowledge Exchange 'How to' guides for the College of Arts, Humanies & Social Sciences
