Social Care Research Impact

Collecting Data Phase

Collecting data is not only a key part of your research process, but also of your impact process. Considering impact early will ensure that you collect suitable types and amounts of data. Having a focus on impact considerations at the data collection stage is highly likely to have a knock-on benefit when it comes to the relevance of your analysis and outputs too.

Be clear about what why you are collecting the data you are
Keep good records of the context in which data was collected, this will come in particularly useful when planning outputs
Take every opportunity when collecting data to build your network (see Network Building)
Consider the use of a blog or twitter to keep stakeholders informed of your progress (see Blogging and Twitter).

Barriers

Sometimes, especially when a focus is unclear, it can be tempting to collect lots of data, too much in fact. When you are overwhelmed with data it is twice as hard to make an impact, because everything takes twice as long!
You need to give consideration to ethics at every stage of the research process, but these are often cited as particularly important at the data collection stage.

Enablers

Plan your impact activity early.
Share your process, data collection can take considerable time so keep people informed with progress (see Blogging).
Collect names and contact details of people and update your Stakeholder Map (see Stakeholder Mapping) throughout data collection.

Useful Impact Methods to Integrate at this Stage

Useful Impact Management Methods to Integrate at this Stage

VMOST

Storyboarding

Stakeholder Mapping

RATWOE

Brainstorming

APESCTLE

This website arose out of activities from the Social Care Evidence in Practice project funded by the London School of Economics and Political Science’s Higher Education Innovation Fund 5. The website itself was created with funding from, and is supported by, the Personal Social Services Research Unit and the NIHR School for Social Care Research.