Researchers should adapt the style of their work for a parliamentary audience to help increase its impact. Tailoring your communication style can improve dissemination, increase publicity and uptake, and lead to further opportunities. If you don’t, you risk wasting an opportunity, having your work ignored, or misunderstood.
The Scottish Parliament worked with colleagues at the UK Parliament, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly to create a guide that includes tips for getting your research used in parliaments.
Writing for a parliamentary audience
This guide includes a list of the different routes into engaging with parliamentary business. It includes some ‘top tips’ for engaging.
Guide to getting your research into the Scottish Parliament (959KB, pdf) posted 27 May 2021
Information about the relationship between academic engagement and lobbying.
Academic engagement and lobbying (85KB, pdf) posted 12 March 2024
The legislatures of the UK including the UK Parliament in Westminster, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, and the Northern Ireland Assembly have produced a joint briefing describing the work of legislatures and the ways that research is used. It gives examples of research impact and suggests evidence that can be used to demonstrate impact on legislatures:
Research Impact in Legislatures (parliament.uk)
When a committee launches an inquiry or starts looking at a Bill (a proposed law), it asks individuals or organisations to submit their views. This is called a "call for views". Responses from those with research expertise in the subject area supports Members and staff to access, and understand, relevant evidence and to draw on this as part of their work.
This guidance provides advice on how researchers can submit written evidence.
Guidance for researchers: submitting written evidence to the Scottish Parliament (218KB, pdf) posted 30 September 2024