The Little Guide to Writing for Impact: How to Communicate Research in a Way that People Will Read

by Katherine Barrett, Richard Greene, Donald F. Kettl

There is a tsunami of research being produced by social scientists, and most of them hope that their work will have impact on public policy. There is an enormous hunger by practitioners for insights into the work they are doing. Far too often, however, there is little connection between the two groups. Researchers complain that practitioners don’t pay enough attention to what they’re writing. Practitioners say that much of what they read isn’t understandable. We propose to write a short, handy guide like Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, aimed at those who seek to translate their research into impact on the world of public affairs. It will help readers do so in academic journals; dissertations and other research-based papers by graduate and undergraduate students; commentaries for major government-focused publications like Governing and GovExec; op-eds for major publications and local newspapers; think tanks and foundations; policy memos aimed at stakeholders within government agencies and elected officials; and books. It will be designed so that its readers can quickly digest it from cover to cover, but it is our expectation that many will jump from chapter to chapter, seeking just the information they most covet. The chapter titles themselves will be punchy, and sometimes humorous, but with an emphasis on clarity. In addition, we will conclude each chapter with a series of bulleted take-aways, in the form of “Do’s and Don’ts” The chapters will develop lessons based on feedback we have gleaned from leading authors and editors, in addition to the authors’ cumulative 110 years in the realm of public administration. The book will provide specific real-world examples of what works—and what doesn’t. By way of illustration, examples will include a good pitch for an op-ed for a regional or a major newspaper; the opening paragraphs of a particularly well written journal abstract; and multiple concrete examples of clear concise writing – or unclear verbose writing – taken from published work. The result will be a guidebook for preparing more effective writing, as well as creating greater impact for useful policy ideas. Given the growing complexity of government problems and the declining trust in government’s operations, writing for impact has never been more important.

140 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2024

Reviews

[Drtaxsacto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am constantly working on my writing. Some friend recommended this very short book and I am glad they did. It goes through a series of chapters about how to construct writing for impact and then offers concise suggestions about how to get better. This is a must read for anyone who wants to write for impact

[Khalid · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors provide a great introduction as to how to write more concisely for the modern audience. Some moments regarding artificial intelligence in the researching space - especially considering the authors admit to using it for this book - come off as distasteful, but otherwise this book is relatively factual

[Brandon Pytel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is mostly for academics, but the tips and tricks are universal enough to be applied to a lot of writing, especially if you’re interested in distilling complex topics down to something more manageable. The writers even reference Elements of Style early on as an influence.

In this way, it’s a perfectly fine book that focuses on the writer’s main aim: to have impact. And to do so, writers need to write “clearly, interestingly, and powerfully, but also of how to frame writing into digestible nuggets.”

Chapters include topics on writing for the layman, dropping jargon, knowing your audience, writing with variance and style, using the right visuals/graphs, fact checking, and landing the plane (conclusions), among other topics.

These books are great for sharpening your writing skills. It’s not that it’s really going to stay with me so much as it’s important to read these books every once in a while to stay conscious of how we write and edit.