The 2018 SPSSI Policy Workshop
Bringing Research to Policy: Building A Social Media Presence
This preconference focused on how we—as scholars, scientists, educators, students, and professionals—can use social media to amplify our work, engage with the policy world, and communicate with the public on policy-relevant research
Date: Thursday, June 28th, 2018
Time: 9 am – 3 pm
Location: Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, Room TBA
SPSSI’s early history demonstrates that research can successfully inform public policy. In the landmark 1954 Brown v Board of Education case, SPSSI scholars Drs. Kenneth and Mamie Clark were responsible for collecting and communicating research evidence that showed the detrimental effects of a “separate but equal” education on African-American school children. Today, the need for research to inform policy is still just as great. One need only look to some of the cases most recently brought to the Supreme Court—including a number of gerrymandering cases—to see that the perspectives of psychologists and other social scientists are very much needed.
Recent surveys of SPSSI members strongly show that we conduct research because we want it to make a difference. Now how do you do that? How do you heighten the impact of your research on policy? How do you rethink the way you communicate with policy stakeholders so that you have more of an impact at the local, state, national, and international levels? How do you navigate the social media space given your unique role as a researcher, issue expert, and private citizen?
This preconference focused on how we—as scholars, scientists, educators, students, and professionals—can use social media to amplify our work, engage with the policy world, and communicate with the public on policy-relevant research. Preconference activities explored different social media-engagement strategies and tools, and show how social media can be used to complement other research-, policy-, and/or advocacy-focused activities.