4 Writing for a policy audience

At the end of a project, a press release, policy brief or report may be appropriate. Social media, such as Twitter, can be a powerful way to reach certain policy communities: see the Communicating AMR data to stakeholders for more on this. Try to combine the two approaches: Leave short, written briefs for policy-makers to read after meetings, and follow up with personal contact.

A press release is a short summary of your research. Journalists often use press releases to decide whether to write a news article on recent scientific research. Although some science journalists are scientists, they are unlikely to be experts in every area that they cover. Therefore, a press release should be clear, concise, engaging and – most importantly – accurate (ASBMB, 2021). The press release should be accessible to non-expert readers.

A policy brief is a short, to-the-point and jargon-free document written for non-specialists that (ffrench-Constant, 2014):

• presents research or project findings to policy actors
• highlights the relevance of the specific research to policy
• offers recommendations for change.