Writing for policy

Adapt the communication of your work for a policymaker by:

• Keeping sentences short, using plain language and avoiding jargon
• Highlighting relevant facts and findings (including research findings outside of your lab)
• Asking non-experts for feedback on your draft.

Policy briefings are short (two-page) documents that highlight key policy messages arising from research outputs.

Writing a policy brief is a great way to present your research and recommendations to a relevant policymaker.  They can also reach think-tanks, charities, advocacy groups, funders and members of the public. They should be targeted and include a call to action. 

How to write a policy brief by Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

Reading other policy briefs and short research summaries is a great way to get a feel for what these documents should look like.

Remove jargon from your communications to make your science more accessible. De-Jargonizer is a tool, which determines the accessibility of the level of vocabulary and terms in a text using three colour-coded levels based on how commonly the words are used.

De-Jargonizer