Dr. Katie Woolaston joined the Alliance community on May 29th, 2024, for an Expert Talk and shared her expertise on how to, as a scientist, approach policy makers through writing policy impact statements. Science communication, especially towards policy making, is often not considered throughout science education and academic trainings. However, the importance of communicating scientific evidence to the policy realm remains crucial.
Dr. Woolaston is an interdisciplinary scholar and lawyer at the Queensland University of Technology and has been part of IBES Panel on Biodiversity and Pandemics as well as part of the TAG of the Nature4Health Initiative curated by UNEP. Her research focus ranges from domestic and international wildlife and conservation law to One Health and primary pandemic prevention.
Given that many policy makers have limited time available to engage with multiple scientific and academic articles, policy impact statements should be a more integrated and rewarded part of scientists’ work. ‘Good’ and effective communication at the science-policy interface begins with the understanding of the policy cycle and the term policy itself, as policy is everything and nothing: the term covers a range of documents, starting from Action Plans to legislations or guidelines. As a scientist, knowing, first of all, to what policy your research and work is corresponding to, who to contact, which department is responsible, where and how your work proves relevant for the identified policy, and how it can be integrated into the policy (where does this policy stand now in the policy cycle), might be obvious aspects to be considered, but are often overlooked. Once these processes are understood and established, formulating a policy impact statement thrives from different perspectives. Partnering with colleagues from different backgrounds enriches the policy statement as it ensures to situate your research in a broader context. Other essential basics to be aware of and not underestimate is the use of language, preciseness and conciseness, the difference between scientific communication and advocacy, or departing from a scientists’ perspective of what type of information is needed versus what information the policy making arena needs. Especially looking at the wildlife-health nexus, the policy process can be challenging as a diverse set of stakeholders need to be involved, silos need to be broken, and it is more difficult to identify who to communicate with and what department is responsible for what exact research area. As Dr. Woolaston’s experience has shown, especially multidisciplinary policy briefs and workshops can be a great opportunity to deepen the engagement and foster bridging the gap between science and policy.
The discussion that followed up touched further upon issues such as how to approach policy makers if your work theme is not considered a priority, the integration of policymakers from the start of scientific research, the missing credits and rewards of scientists engaging with policy making efforts and informing policy, even numerically, and the potential conflict and obstacles of different interests that are present when entering the political sphere.
Watch the recording of Dr. Woolaston’s talk in the members area and have a look at her slides to get some practical guidance for your next policy impact statement. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Secretariat. The team would be happy to connect you to Dr. Woolaston.