Policy Brief

Key features in a nutshell

• a policy brief is a written analysis of a policy issue no more than a few pages long
• policy briefs usually present both scientific findings and policy recommendations
• policy briefs can analyse recent events; scientists can also write them to synthesise policy-relevant knowledge from journal articles or other lengthy scholarly work.

How does the format work?

Policy briefs are well-structured and easy-to-read. They are usually comprised of six parts: title, summary, introduction of policy issue, presentation of research findings, policy recommendations, sources, and appendix.

It should be noted that scientists compete for the attention of policymakers with businesses, lobby organisations, NGOs, and think tanks, whose staff are usually trained and experienced in writing policy briefs.

The first page of the policy brief is the most important. Scientists must understand that many policymakers will only read the first page or paragraph. Therefore, scientists must choose a catchy title reflecting the policy’s relevance or key findings. Examples of catchy titles can be found below.

The summary presents the key messages and should not exceed two paragraphs. Therefore, present your key messages in the summary using visualisation features like a textbox, thick print, bullet points, or a combination of them. Focus on 2-4 key messages. If your topic requires more than 2-4 key messages, consider publishing two policy briefs instead of one.

The following section introduces the policy issue. Explain clearly and concisely why the issue matters for policymaking. If clarification is needed on whether the issue is relevant for policymakers, read our post.

The following section will present your research findings: What, after reading this section, will the policymaker know that she didn’t know before? Why are these findings important? This section leads to the policy recommendations which are supposed to help policymakers draft or implement policies. Provide specific recommendations and avoid generalisations (“The government has to increase its efforts to save the environment”). Policy recommendations should be sound, even if policymakers are not likely to take them up in the short term.

In many cases, it took scientists decades to see concrete actions resulting from their policy recommendations. But scientists should know the political, legal, and financial implications of their policy recommendations’. Scientists and policymakers can argue which recommendations are politically, financially, and legally feasible, but scientists should refrain from recommendations that will never be implemented, such “to save electricity, Parliament should make the production and consumption of electricity illegal.” In some countries (e.g., Germany), policy briefs focus on analysis rather than policy recommendations.

The final section should include the sources or appendices, such as data sets. We recommend publishing data sets, a section on methods, and other lengthy information on your website and providing the URL in the sources section rather than adding pages of appendices to your policy brief.

Regarding style, keep sentences short and easy to understand. Think about your audience: if you want to focus on experts in policymaking institutions, you can employ a rather technical writing style. Avoid jargon and acronyms if you expect generalists to read your policy brief. Always let peers read your paper.

As in other contexts, timing is critical if scientists want to achieve impact. Our article on timing is available here.

Tasks and resources

Scientists

Content. Scientists can write the policy brief on their own. If they are too busy to do so, they can outline the structure and main arguments to knowledge exchange managers who can then write the policy briefs.

Organisational issues. Scientists must know if the policy briefs will reach policymakers. If they don’t have mailing lists, websites, or social media channels to disseminate the policy briefs, they should approach research centres, think tanks, or NGOs with tremendous reach and accept policy briefs from external contributors.

Resources regarding time. Scientists should be able to write a policy brief in a couple of hours. However, they might have to conduct original research when analysing a timely issue. They should be constantly asking themselves if they can extract a policy brief from a journal article or other lengthy publication.

Knowledge exchange managers and research managers (Support Stuff)

Knowledge exchange managers can assist scientists in writing policy briefs by informing them about current policy issues. To do so, knowledge exchange officers can follow media coverage, subscribe to policymaking institutions’ newsletters and read official documents like strategy papers or legislation. Knowledge exchange managers can read research articles and use Google or ChatGPT to link research output with current policy debates.

Knowledge exchange managers can talk to scientists regarding current policy issues and make suggestions for the structure and content of a policy brief. After reading the scientists ‘ journal articles, press officers often send drafts for press releases to scientists on current research results, which the scientist can then comment ons. Knowledge exchange officers operate in a similar fashion and produce draft policy briefs which scientists can comment on. Such an approach saves time for scientists.

Knowledge exchange managers are vital in disseminating policy briefs. They can identify readers by browsing organisation charts or committee members in parliaments. They can communicate the policy briefs via mailing lists, websites, and social media. If they lack reach regarding social media followers, mailing list recipients, or website visitors, knowledge exchange managers can identify other research institutions, think tanks, or NGOs with a broad reach and accept external contributions.

Sources and further reading

Did COVID-19 accelerate the green transition? An international assessment of fiscal spending measures to support low-carbon technologies, OECD Policy Brief, 19 October 2023.

Egorov, Konstantin, Why did Russian economy not collapse under sanctions: Pre-war evidence, SAFE Policy Letter No. 102. September 2023.

See also contributions on the following issues

Understanding policy relevance, policy blogs, and timing.

Do you want to know more about the policy engagement toolkit?

Do you want to share your experience in policy engagement? Do you think about contributing to the policy engagement toolkit? Feel free to contact Tome Sandevski via science-policy@uni-frankfurt.de