Reconceptualising research impact: reflections on the real-world impact of research in an Australian context
Article
Article Title | Reconceptualising research impact: reflections on the real-world impact of research in an Australian context |
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ERA Journal ID | 20348 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | |
Author | Doyle, Joanne |
Journal Title | Higher Education Research and Development |
Journal Citation | 37 (7), pp. 1366-1379 |
Number of Pages | 14 |
Year | 2018 |
Publisher | Routledge |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0729-4360 |
1469-8366 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1504005 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2018.1504005 |
Abstract | A focus on research impact is influencing the way research is undertaken in Australian higher education institutions. Research activities are planned, funded, conducted, assessed and reported in a way that highlights the real-world impact of research on society. The contemporary prioritisation of research impact, beyond scholarly contribution, reflects a logic model approach to understanding impact that may not adequately reflect the entwined nature of how research achieves impact within and outside academia. This article presents the results of a study conducted with researchers in a regional Australian university to explore the lived experience of research impact. The findings suggest a new definition of research impact as the process whereby research knowledge makes a difference to the knowledge beneficiary. Reconceptualising research impact as a process presents an alternative perspective for explaining how research achieves real-world impact, and helps to address the limitations of logic model approaches. A process-orientation to understanding how research achieves impact acknowledges the indirect, intangible, unexpected and endless influences of research that may be difficult to anticipate and demonstrate. |
Keywords | research; impact; research impact; Australia; higher education |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 399999. Other education not elsewhere classified |
Public Notes | Submitted version made available in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. |
Byline Affiliations | University of Southern Queensland |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q5506/reconceptualising-research-impact-reflections-on-the-real-world-impact-of-research-in-an-australian-context
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