Assuming that your research has indeed made a difference in the real world and you have evidence to back up such a claim, then the matter of creating an effective REF2021 Impact Case Study (i.e. 4*) is one of writing.
The Impact Case Study is a genre unfamiliar to me and I am finding it a challenge to write. I need to know how the different parts of ‘the template’ connect to each other and how to make the writing an effective reading experience for the time-pressed reviewer.
Impact Case Studies? has been created by Maureen K. Michael, Lecturer in Professional Education at the University of Stirling, for Research Deans, REF Managers and case-study authors who want to develop REF Impact Case Studies through an ethos of collegiality. I am not a REF expert. My expertise lies in figuring out what helps and hinders the social production of knowledge…
We all found this workshop incredibly useful and you led the workshop with great energy, enthusiasm and insight!
Professor, Faculty of Natural Sciences
In trying to figure out our own impact case study I have designed writing workshops that have proven useful for others. The workshop ideas have already been used with colleagues in the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities and the Natural Sciences. Participating colleagues reported two particular benefits of the workshops: working amongst/with others; and protecting the writing time from other distractions. Colleagues leave the workshops with greater clarity for their case studies and a sense that the process of writing them can be collegiate and convivial.
You are welcome to use any of the workshop ideas to suit your own context and share with colleagues, but attribute appropriately.
Remember, if you want a REF expert then contact your REF manager or look up someone like Mark Reed but if you want the insights of someone trying to figure out the basics, then explore these pages further and meet up with someone doing the same.
If you have ideas or feedback then contact m.k.michael@stir.ac.uk