We have drafted these principles in order to help colleagues navigate the wider public engagement with research landscape. At present we wish to hear from as many colleagues as possible in order to create the most useful set of Principles that we can. We welcome your feedback on these. Please send feedback to peru@abdn.ac.uk
Draft Principles for best practice in Public Engagement with Research
Introductory Statement
The University of Aberdeen’s foundational purpose is to be open to all. Public engagement with research (hereafter PER) is one keyway in which we can accomplish this purpose ensuring we engage meaningfully with society and aligns to our Strategic Plan, Aberdeen 2040, commitments – 3, 8, 9 and 13.
Fundamentally, engagement is not one way – it can be a multi-directional process where the public, the research and researchers benefit from the experience. The public, for these purposes, is everyone who is not part of your immediate research. Beyond this the public (or sometimes referred to as publics) can be broken down into smaller groups who have a specific or general interest or stake in your research; these are known as your stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement is crucial because it fosters collaboration, trust, information exchange, network building and can lead to a more successful and satisfying research project. Your stakeholders will be specific to your research.
Established national public engagement with research principles set out the range of ways that research and researchers engage with the public and specific stakeholders. PER can include a range of engagement activities and formats such as competitions, festivals and Cafes, workshops, blogs, online forums, face-to-face events, podcasts, focus groups and much more. By its nature PER is a creative space where existing forms are not limits and the guiding principle should be to find the best way to engage with the most relevant audience in the most meaningful way
Evaluation and ethics are critically important components of engagement and should inform all aspects of this work. Ethics ensure what we do is balanced, considered and has the best chance to succeed while evaluation allows us to reflect on what we have done – and to draw conclusions and evidence from the process.
Principles for Best Practice in PER
At the University of Aberdeen, we have a dedicated Public Engagement with Research Unit (PERU); PERU has many years of experience in delivering and supporting public engagement activities and should always be one of your first points of contact for advice on work in this area. PERU is aligned closely to ScotPEN (the Scottish Public Engagement Network) and the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (hereafter NCCPE) which provide national guidelines on the practice and theories around PER to academic and professional services engagement staff.
Drawing on these wider resources and our experience, PERU has created the following checklist which you should consult in order to create the best engagement activities that you can. These principles are not exhaustive; PER is a creative, dynamic and evolving space.
1. Think about PER at the start of your research journey.
When PER is an essential component of your research, seek advice and support as early as possible, either from colleagues with experience, the central PERU team or national Engagement bodies. This will help you understand why you need to engage and how to begin the process. Think about engagement as something that will run the full lifecycle of your research project. It is important to consider what lessons you will earn from engagement – so plan evaluation of your activity at an early stage as well.
2. Consider who your stakeholders are.
Which group of the public would benefit most from your research? There could be multiple groups. Examples include: families; communities with a specific interest (e.g. in local history or through a shared medical condition) teachers; policy makers (whether in any tier of government or in an organisation, company or third sector body), industry (please note that different staff and departments deal with policy and industry engagement – please ask and we can point you in the right direction). Make sure that you bear in mind principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at this stage. Be open and inclusive with your group in activity design and delivery. Also try to involve your stakeholders in co-design if possible – this could involve having your stakeholders being involved in choosing the time and location of your activity. It might also involve the stakeholders being involved at a very early stage in the research with a remit to co-create engagement activities with you.
3. Decide which type of PER activity you want to undertake.
This could be an online or ‘real world’ activity; it could be part of an existing series, or festival or stand-alone event. It could also be tailored to your research. Explore what is going on at the University, local, regional and national level. PERU provides a calendar of activities but also facilitates partnerships with groups that could be useful to you.
4. Ensure an equality, diversity and inclusion approach.
EDI are the heart of so much that we do today, and this is very true of PER. Make sure you understand the stakeholders you plan to work with – who are they? How will they perceive you? Is there a power imbalance? Try to integrate all parties into the activity/process as fully as possible. Look at the venue you plan to use – does it have a quiet space? What are its policies and limitations – for example you might want to avoid establishments that are only open to certain groups. An accessible venue can mean one that has disabled ramps but one which is also well known to the public and on bus routes.
5. Create an Engagement Plan.
Think things through thoroughly – the central PERU team and colleagues with relevant experience can help you with this. In planning, consider costs: where will the activity take place – does it cost to hire the venue? Do you need to buy resources? When considering your venue accessibility is key. Think about how it will make the public feel to be in there. Is there level access? Do they have disabled accessible toilets and lifts? Resources such as Euan’s Guide can be invaluable in reflecting the needs of different groups. Make sure you have the admin support you need, for example: venues require Purchase Orders in advance; museum exhibitions are set years in advance; booking links might need to be set up.
6. Think about evaluation at the start.
Include evaluation planning and collection from the start – treat it as an essential component of the work. Use evaluation to help you think about what you want to achieve from the engagement – as well as what the stakeholders might reasonably want to achieve. Create an evaluation process that allows you to measure and capture this. Evaluate not just your activity but also your own approaches. This is your learning experience from the activity. PERU provides training for Evaluation and can help you to develop an engagement plan.
7. Engagement as a pathway to impact.
Not all engagement leads to impact and not all impact can be translated into an Impact Case Study for the Research Excellence Framework, but much of it can. Collect evidence of what you have done. Use the evaluation process to ensure you have the evidence you need. Keep emails, registration lists, event recordings or photographs of events. If you want your PER activities to contribute to an Impact Case Study, design your PER activity with that in mind – to reach new audiences, or increase audiences, or grow awareness or to help you get involved in new networks that can help generate impact from your research. NCCPE have a series of resources dedicated to the evolving role of engagement in REF 2029