Outreach and public engagement

How universities can use civic engagement and collaboration to get local communities and the broader public involved in their research and other work and generate positive impacts felt beyond the campus walls. These resources also explore effective ways for academics, educators and other teams to reach out and engage with school pupils and groups underrepresented in higher education to break down potential barriers to access.

When refuge isn’t safe: uncovering real-life stories to shape policy

Human stories that feed into research can be a powerful tool for driving policy change but need careful and sensitive handling, as Lizzie Kirsch explains

Lizzie Kirsch

University of Birmingham, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Basket of pumpkins with sign "buy local"

Food for thought: advice for building a university-community collaboration

Planning and communication can turn good intentions into lasting benefits for students, faculty and the community. Joshua Gruver shares his advice for successful outreach, based on his experience developing a local farmers’ market

]oshua Gruver

Ball State University

A man standing browsing papers in a university library

Tips on providing free public access to your university library

A university library should provide a gateway into the institution for surrounding communities, explains Andrew Barker, as he shares advice on creating a ‘library community card’ that provides free and open access to the public

Andrew Barker

Lancaster University

Community outreach like the Great Science Share for Schools requires listening

Flip the script: why listening is the best form of outreach

In aiming to widen participation, it’s easy to get lost in your own passion. Instead focus on understanding others’ needs – and keep it simple

Lynne Bianchi

The University of Manchester

How a sustainable internship programme can support social mobility

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds can remain on the back foot when entering the workforce. This programme offers higher education practitioners a replicable model that includes professional skills development and access

Fiona Hudson, Inís Fitzpatrick , Cathy Mcloughlin

Dublin City University

So, you want to reach out? Lessons from a ‘science for all’ programme

Public engagement in STEM strengthens research relevance and trust in science, but how can universities do it well? Here, the team behind S4 give three considerations based on a decade of effective outreach to disadvantaged schools

Mary Gagen , Will Bryan, Rachel Bryan

Swansea University

Academic integrity summer schools can be very useful for ECRs

How to organise an event to train ambassadors of academic integrity

Engendering academic integrity in the next generation of researchers is vital for the academy – Salim Razı offers key takeaways from organising free academic integrity summer schools

Salim Razı

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

First generation student worried by the college applications process

How to ensure college admissions are equitable and accessible

As a first-generation college student, Aimee Huffstetler knows how daunting the application process can be. Now working in enrolment, she shares advice on what higher education administrators can do to ensure more equitable and accessible admissions

Aimee Huffstetler

Gwynedd Mercy University

Considering a university merger? Here’s how to do it well

Assessing a merger’s viability, as well as prioritising trust, openness and maintaining organisational cultures are key to success, says Kayla Vasilko

Kayla Vasilko

Purdue University Northwest

Bringing in alumni as guest tutors to teach and inspire students

Inviting alumni to contribute to a course can enrich the learning experience for current students. Ellie Devenish-Nelson and Sharron Ogle explain how

Ellie Devenish-Nelson , Sharron Ogle

The University of Edinburgh

Woman taking part in an online teaching workshop

The practicalities of delivering a multi-institutional online workshop

Lessons from planning and delivering a multi-institutional online workshop for university teachers designed to find solutions to common educational challenges

Kelly Edmunds , Richard Bowater

The University of East Anglia

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

Campus Talks: How can universities tackle misinformation?

Just providing a degree isn’t enough. Through their research, community engagement and teaching, universities can do much more to tackle misinformation.

Phil Napoli, Simge Andi

Duke University, The University of Exeter

Early career researcher balancing the many demands of their working life

Design an early career researcher survey that spurs positive change

Guidance for crafting a university survey that encourages participation and leads to meaningful changes in policy, from a team of early career researchers at the University of Melbourne and Monash University

Trevor Steward, Hui-Fern Koay, Kelly Kirkland

University of Melbourne, Monash University

Universities have a critical role to play in the preservation of Indigenous languages and culture

Higher education has a crucial role to play in reaching out to Indigenous communities

Indigenous researcher Roselind Wan outlines strategies for universities hoping to champion Indigenous languages and inclusion

Roselind Wan

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Too many universities are practically identical

Sea of sameness: why universities have trouble with branding

Universities need to better embrace commercial opportunities and stop trying to be all things to all people, says Paul Baines

Paul Baines

University of Leicester

Merging library and IT services can bring great benefits to university life

Why universities should consider merging library and IT departments

Cultural differences and the need for excellent communication mean that such merging libraries and information technology departments is not easy, but the outcomes can provide tremendous value, says Ravi Ravishanker

Ravi Ravishanker

Wellesley College

Image of the red curtains opening at the start of a theatre performance

What’s the story? Creative ways to communicate your research

Early in your academic research, you should ask how you can creatively communicate it to a wide audience. The results may surprise you, says Steven Beschloss

Steven Beschloss

Arizona State University

Support for Ukrainian academics and students

Supporting Ukrainian scholars: what’s next for #ScienceForUkraine?

Academics and students from Ukraine at home and in exile need help. Here are ways to support the Ukrainian academic community

Arran Reader , Anna K. Bobak

University of Stirling

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: what makes research and teaching interesting?

Find out what universal tricks and traits can make things more interesting whether introducing a new concept in class or drafting a research paper for fellow academics

Kurt Gray, Manuel Goyanes, Emily Corwin-Renner

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M), University of Tübingen

Podcast starter kit: what you need to get recording and posting now

Podcasting is like chess – easy to begin and hard to master. Here are the basics about equipment, software and hosting sites to get you off to the best possible start

John Weldon

Victoria University

Image depicting a story emerging from the pages of a book

The transformative potential of narrative writing explained

Narrative writing is one way academics can meaningfully communicate their work to the public but it can be hard to master. Steven Beschloss shares a guide to improve narrative writing skills

Steven Beschloss

Arizona State University

Lessons in running workshops to train students in basic electronics

Workshops that train pre-university students in open-source electronics and programming platform Arduino can broaden access to and knowledge of readily available technology. Here‘s a guide for how to design them

Jorge N. Gutiérrez

Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC)

Image depicting the need for the public to understand evidence and fact

How to improve the public understanding of evidence

The ability to critically analyse information and differentiate fact from fiction is a skill needed far beyond higher education. So how can academics trained in evaluating evidence engage the wider public in this important process?

Rebecca Dewey

University of Nottingham, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Business schools must play a part in helping solve the world's most pressing issues

Business schools must play their part in supporting those fleeing Ukraine

As providers of education that sits at the interface of industry and academia, the onus is on business schools to step up during times of crisis

Mary Meaney , Celia Moore , Marina Moncayola Lobato

Imperial College London

A formula one team represents university collaboration to support refugee students

Simple ways universities can collaborate to bring more refugees into higher education

There’s strength in numbers when it comes to meeting the unique learning and support needs of refugee students

Rebecca Granato

Bard College

HE-industry partnerships are crucial for students to emerge from university work-ready

Half of students feel they’re not ready for a job – we must solve the HE-industry disconnect

Are localised higher education and industry research partnerships delivering? Salah Al-Majeed reflects on how to bring sometimes disparate organisations closer together

University of Lincoln

The metaverse opens up huge opportunities for universities that extend well beyond a virtual copy of their campus

The metaverse is much more than a virtual copy of your campus

Most universities are not yet in the metaverse space, nor clear about what is really involved – and we can’t afford to remain in this position, says Andy Miah

Andy Miah

University of Salford

Amplifying your research paper can be achieved if you are ready to be proactive

How to be proactive when amplifying research papers

Conferences might be the first thought, but there are many options for furthering your paper’s reach – and they usually require you to take the lead

Ashleigh Johnstone

Arden University

Don’t worry about journal acceptance rates – and here’s why

Deciding where to submit a manuscript? A journal acceptance rate is a useful signal to prospective authors of the probability of acceptance of their manuscript – no more and no less than that

Rachel Herbert

Elsevier

You’re a content producer now, part one: how to write articles for a mainstream audience

How does a scholar, trained thoroughly in academic style for academic journals, enter the wider world of general publishing?

John Weldon

Victoria University

Illustration of people around a giant typewriter with the word 'story' on paper

You’re a content producer now, part two: how to craft an article for mainstream media outlets

After you’ve decided your topic and format, it’s time to consider the details of writing the story – from mastering tone, style and point of view to all-important SEO

John Weldon

Victoria University

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: how to build mutually beneficial community partnerships

Three vice-presidents of public affairs and community engagement at universities in London, Melbourne and Chicago speak to the value of two-way partnerships

Deborah Bull, Derek Douglas, Julie Wells

King’s College London, The University of Chicago, University of Melbourne

Five tips to enhance your institution’s civic engagement by working with public libraries

Advice to help universities work in partnership with public libraries to reach wider audiences and enhance their civic engagement

Marge Ainsley, Rachel Heydecker

Carnegie UK

Young woman on stage giving a presentation

10 essential tips for your next academic presentation

Using examples and practical tips, Dorsa Amir explains the techniques that ensure your presentation communicates its message effectively – from slide design to structuring your talk

Dorsa Amir

University of California, Berkeley

Image of a book to illustrate ways to get published beyond academia

How to get a book published outside academia

Lexi Stadlen shares advice on how to turn your academic research into a commercially published book and reach audiences beyond academia

Lexi Stadlen

Independent academic

Tips for sharing your research and professional expertise with consumer media

Academics can offer insight based on research and professional experience that is applicable far beyond the scope of academic journals. Samuel Kim Kwong Kwok shares a guide to engaging with the mainstream consumer media

Samuel Kim Kwong Kwok

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

We should create an army of university student volunteers to help with levelling up and social mobility

We need to create a tutoring army to level up education

Getting student volunteers to tutor less-privileged children would boost fundamental education for those who need it most and provide a national social mobility service, says Lee Elliot Major

Lee Elliot Major

The University of Exeter

We must consider the SDGs in local contexts and universities can help

We won’t get anywhere without placing the SDGs in local contexts

Applying the SDGs looks vastly different in a Western city from how it does in a rural Asian village. Su Li Chong explains how universities can help us get past a one-size-fits-all approach

Su Li Chong

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Image showing a researcher writing in a notepad to illustrate advice on using poetry to analyse data

Creating poetry from data to aid analysis

Poetry can be used as a tool to re-analyse and present qualitative data through a new lens, as Sam Illingworth explains

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

Image depicting a world vision emanating from the pages of a book

Using poetry to solve problems

Grappling with a problem? Try writing a poem about it to aid your subconscious in finding a solution. Sam Illingworth explains how

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

Purpose-driven businesses are leading the way for universities

Universities must follow business and place ‘purpose’ front and centre

More and more businesses are shifting from the short-term myopia of financial self-interest to enduring, aspirational reasons to exist. Universities need to do the same

Victoria Hurth, Iain Stewart

University of Cambridge, University of Plymouth

An academic tracking their research metrics based on online data and citations

Making research metrics work for you, part one

An introduction to individual research metrics and how to discover how your own profile and data are represented online, in part one of Ioannis Glinavos’ advice on managing metrics

Ioannis Glinavos

University of Westminster

A picture representing the different components needed to improve research metrics

Making research metrics work for you, part two

Steps you can take to improve your research data and elevate the visibility of your work, in part two of Ioannis Glinavos’ advice on managing metrics

Ioannis Glinavos

University of Westminster

A group of school children learning about recycling

Tips for creating open access digital courses focused on tackling the climate crisis

Tips on how to develop, design and deliver open access digital education resources to help educate wider audiences about the climate crisis, by Erika Warnatzsch

Erika Warnatzsch

The University of Edinburgh

Researchers magnifiying their work to represent advice on increasing the impact of your work

Amplifying research: five features of successful impact generation

As UK universities await the results of REF2021 and a new cycle of impact generation starts, how can academics go about amplifying the impact of their research? Charlotte Humma and Tessa Russell share tips

Charlotte Humma, Tessa Russell

University of Sussex

Smartphone and social media addiction is a real danger - and academics would be complicit if we don't start questioning its use more readily

Why I choose not to teach with social media

If social media is eventually revealed as a grave threat to public health, the academy’s unquestioning adoption of it could make scholars complicit

Zachary Michael Jack

North Central College

LinkedIn is becoming academia’s key tool for career progression

For students and academics alike, it’s harder to ignore LinkedIn’s combination of networking and self-promotional opportunities

Gillian McCurdy

Arden University

Opening the Twitter app on a mobile phone

The 10 commandments of academic Twitter

Lucas Lixinski offers tips on how to engage positively with the social media platform, from ‘honour thy hashtags’ to ‘thou shalt live-tweet at events’

Lucas Lixinski

UNSW Sydney

Using social media data and analytics is key for academics hoping to expand their network

How to use social media analytics to effectively expand your network

Digging deeper into social media, through stats and data, is the key to understanding audience and carving out your niche, says Michael Skiba

Michael Skiba

Colorado State University Global

A female politician gives a speech - academics must tailor their communications with politicians in order to have their research affect policy

Want your research to have an impact on policy? Know your audience

Politicians are novices by design, so tailoring your communications with them gives you the best chance of cutting through, says David R. Garcia

David R. Garcia

Arizona State University

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