Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A funder commissions independent contribution-analysis evaluation of a 5-year research programme.
- Is an instance
An institution conducts portfolio-level impact evaluation by aggregating case studies across departments.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
Reporting impact-evaluation findings based on author self-report with no triangulation.
- Not an instance
Claiming attribution without identifying counterfactual evidence or contribution pathway.
Editorial commentary
Impact evaluation draws methods from programme evaluation, social-science research, contribution analysis and case-study design. Approaches include counterfactual designs (where feasible), contribution analysis, theory-based evaluation, payback frameworks, and productive-interactions tracing. Funders increasingly require impact evaluation as part of grant closeout. The Research Impact Handbook, the LSE Impact Blog, and the Royal Society's impact toolkit are common reference resources.
References
- Mayne J 'Contribution analysis' Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation 2008. Reed M 'The Research Impact Handbook' 2016.
Also known as
Research impact evaluation · Impact assessment
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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