Pulling back the curtain on conducting social impact research

Conducting research that has social impact is more than simply disseminating research when it is completed. It is more than looking at the influence research has on a research field or discipline. Conducting research that has social impact is a process of engaging communities in the research process and ensuring that the communities that take part in the research experience benefits. Socially impactful research is messy and challenging. It takes commitment from researchers to consider social impact and integrate practices into the entire research process from planning to collecting data, to communicating and implementing findings with communities. While this research is taking place within the field of information behavior/information practices, many of the ways this research is carried out are hidden. In this panel, four information behavior/information practice researchers will discuss research projects that have social impact and “pull back the curtain” on their approach to this research, what this means practically for carrying out this research, as well as how research findings are communicated and applied.