To reach a broader audience beyond academia, you might want to consider writing a non academic publication such as a newspaper article, an online article, blog post or an article for a professional journal or newsletter. Writing for a non academic publication could be one way to show research impact or engagement.

Pitching and publishing an article relating to your research within The Conversation could lead to the general public reading about your research. As a number of articles within The Conversation are republished (under a creative commons license) online within The Age newspaper or under the news section on the ABC website.

If your research has practical implications for a profession such as accounting, architecture, engineering, law or science, then publishing articles in both academic and professional journals may be beneficial. As professionals working in industry are more likely to read a professional journal rather than an academic journal. Some examples of professional journals include:

Non traditional research outputs such as creative works can be included as a research output if it meets certain eligibility criteria specific to the type of output.

Examples of creative works include:

• an artwork, a diagram or map, a photography, a sculpture or an installation

• a building or a design project

• a public exhibition or a live or recorded performance such as a play or a film

• a novel, an exhibition catalogue or an entry in an exhibition catalogue

Points for consideration when selecting an outlet for your creative work:

• Take into account the reputation of the gallery or venue, the exposure your work may receive and how it will be discovered and promoted.
  • Will your work be independently reviewed, and will you be able to show engagement through attendance, feedback, reviews or through other means?
  • Can you show evidence that your work has been selected based on evaluation by one or more peers within the same research field and the work is available in a public outlet or venue. See the list of approved venues which RMIT does not require evidence of peer review as these venues are known to use a peer-review or expert selection process for selecting creative works. 
• Will information about your creative work be discoverable online - for example, through a catalogue, recording, video, images?
  • Will it be promoted through social media?
  • Is there a website that can be linked to in a social media post or added to a researcher profile or personal website?
• Finally, refer to the creative practice tab on the Library's guide to research evidence for more information on demonstrating engagement with your NTROs when applying for research grants or academic promotion.

Information to ensure that your non traditional output is classified as research:

• Refer to the Reporting creative research works and portfolios (staff only) article within the RMIT Research Portal for information about the specific criteria that a creative work needs to meet to be considered a research output. Reporting your output will ensure that it is included in the RMIT Research Repository. Note: Only NTROs by RMIT University staff can be reported.
• For creative works, in addition to meeting the eligibility criteria, a research statement must be included when reporting the output as research to RMIT. For information on a research statement, refer to the Instructions on writing a research statement (Creative Works) article within the RMIT Research Portal.