The policy agenda can be an important part of the academic or innovation journey. However, like most things, policy engagement is not always beneficial; much depends on your position.

My adventures in policy-making have taught me that policy-makers often value white papers over academic ones, and that passion and personality usually open more doors than data. Those same experiences have also seen my work transferred to others and used up an extraordinary amount of time that didn’t result in benefit.

Therefore, before setting out to impact policy, there is an incredibly important question to be answered.

Should you?

It’s almost expected that you should engage with policy-makers and those in power to get your research seen and have the impact you desire. However, it’s not always beneficial. Sometimes people take your ideas and fail to cite you; sometimes ideas are distorted and used for purposes that contravene the spirit of the research; and other times people see you as a threat to what they are trying to achieve, especially if you have research that can evidence the approach as damaging.

I have seen many examples of people removed from projects they designed and delivered. Once policy-makers got involved, the justification was that it needed a safer pair of hands.

Research is about best practice and knowledge sharing, but the rules that can govern academic publishing don’t apply in policy. Here, established organisations and individuals are likely to be better protected. It’s easy to share when you are already in a position of power. People are far less likely to forget your contribution.

How should you?

Now, I’m not suggesting that we don’t engage in policy-making or that we don’t share our ideas to further knowledge. Instead, I want to encourage you to take stock of where you are, and the power that you do or don’t have behind you, before you set upon a plan of action.

I’m going to use a simple acronym to help us think about the approach we take: PANE:  Power, Agenda, Network and Evidence.

Power. How much power do you have? Not your university, or your organisation, but you. Be aware of the power you hold, or don’t, and consider how you might ensure you remain close to your project should policy-makers deem it worthy of attention. What to do: Understand the power you have in relation to your research.

Agenda. What is the agenda of the people you are presenting the work to? Will they use it in a way that sits well with you? You might feel it’s worthwhile either way, and that’s fine. The point is know before you go in. Make an informed decision. What to do: Find out more about the people you meet and decide if they will use your research in a way you feel comfortable with.

Network. Who do you know, and what power do they have? Are they able and willing to support you if push comes to shove? Know in advance who will back you. What to do: Understand which specific advocacy groups exist in your area and get involved.

Evidence. What evidence do you have that this is your work? Your actual contribution, idea conception, etc. People like to take credit for good ideas, so make sure you can show where it all started. What to do: Establish evidence that your work came from you, written briefs, co-authorship agreements, and email trails.

By considering PANE, you should be in a better position to decide if now is the right time for you to be policy-making, or if you need to lay a little bit of groundwork first.

Taking a moment to consider the risks and creating a plan to mitigate them before we go in can be the difference between a rewarding experience and a painful one. Protecting yourself is far more than ensuring you are credited for your work; it’s about ensuring that your research is not misrepresented.

Thanks to Professor Chris Fox and Nick O’Dowd from Manchester Metropolitan University, whose excellent session, “Introduction to Policy Making”, inspired this blog. Also, to the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network.