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Introduction to Real World Impact (RWI):

What is RWI and why is it important?

RWI refers to the impact of research beyond the academy and within the real world, the effect that academic research can have upon government policy, charitable organisations, public opinion and much more. It is important because it demonstrates the practical applications of your work and helps to distribute it within a much wider context.

Examples of venues for RWI:

• Blogs
• Podcasts
• Social media posts
• Citations in government or charitable policy
• Newspaper or magazine articles
• Interviews/discussions on television or radio
• Patents 
• Online reference managers like Endnote
• Social bookmarking and sharing (e.g. Pinterest, Reddit)
• Mentions on Wikipedia

How is it measured?

There is no definitive method for measuring RWI, as it encompasses such a wide variety of forms which can be difficult to track. However, a general outline can be obtained through looking at Altmetrics:

‘Altmetrics are a simple and effective way of understanding who is engaging with research online and what they’re saying. The Altmetric data gathered allows you to track anything from articles to software packages, using a broad range of scholarly identifiers that cut out the noise of traditional measurement tools.’

https://www.altmetric.com/about-us/what-are-altmetrics/

Whilst not all forms of RWI will be picked up by Altmetrics, many of them will, and it can be a useful starting point for considering the impact of your work outside of the academy.

Our Values:

Intellect is committed to supporting the work of our book and journal authors to resonate in the wider world. We believe that a productive scholarly enterprise is one that makes a meaningful impact in the community. Scholars in the arts and humanities reflect the human experience, facilitate deeper intercultural understanding, solve problems that will improve people's lives and uncover persistent inequalities.

Arts and humanities scholars are under increasing pressure to demonstrate impact; however the traditional metrics only present a part of the picture. Articles on the benefits of choral singing on health or the importance of social network and media technologies in elder care settings, for example, will not garner high impact factors or prolific scholarly citations. They will, however, inform institutional policies and influence practical application, making vital contributions to select global communities.

What We Do:

Below are some of the ways in which we increase the impact of works published through Intellect.

• We regularly share free articles during significant awareness months, weeks and days to promote under-represented voices and topics.
• We make one issue of each journal free to access in order to encourage readership.
• We publish Open Access content within both books and journals; Open Access publishing can increase the impact of work by making it immediately and readily available, thus increasing the pool of potential readers. Visit our Open Access page to find out more.
• We are committed to widening access through Research4Life. Research4Life provides institutions in low-and middle-income countries with online access to academic and professional peer-reviewed content.
• We have language ambassadors available to work with ESL authors in the following languages: German, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Italian and Spanish. We strive to platform work produced outside of the Anglosphere and by authors from a variety of backgrounds.
• We deliver virtual and in-person workshops on publishing to early career scholars around the world.
• We promote the work of our authors via our social media channels on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
• We host 'In Conversation' interviews with our authors on Instagram and YouTube, offering them the opportunity to explain their research in a more informal setting to a wider audience.
• We organise launch parties and events to facilitate the in-person impact of the works published with us.
• We share review copies of our books with relevant media outlets.
• Many of our books have been reviewed in the New Books Network podcast, including Pasta, Pizza & Propaganda, PUNK! Las Américas Edition, The Cultural Impact of RuPaul’s Drag Race, (Re:) Claiming Ballet and many more.

What You Can Do:

• Ensure you provide rich metadata for your article, chapter or book, to make your research more discoverable.
• Consider referring to relevant Sustainable Development Goals in your keywords. Policy makers searching within these areas will be more easily able to discover your research.
• If you are writing for a journal, and waiting for your article to be included in an issue, ask the editor about publishing online first. This will ensure your research is published and available to subscribers as early as possible.
• Once published, post about your work on social media. Tag Intellect, any co-authors or editors, and add relevant hashtags such as: #AcademicTwitter #VisualArts #PopularCulture #FilmStudies #OA #OpenAccess #research #policy #sustainability etc.
• Summarize your journal article in plain language, and share it on Kudos.
• Share the preprint version of your article on a non-commercial repository or your personal website at any time; likewise, share your Accepted Manuscript twelve months after publication. For full details, see our Licence and Usage Policy.
• Add your work to reading lists for classes you teach and ask colleagues to do the same.
• Ask your librarian to subscribe to the journal or buy the book in which you are published.
• Add links to your latest work/s in your email signature.
• Present your work at relevant conferences.
• When developing your research, ask yourself who needs your research, then collaborate with them to frame your research questions. This might include, but is not limited to: NGOs, arts organisations or community groups.
• If you are interviewed on a podcast, or for another publication, explain your research in order to bring it to a wider audience.