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Defining an Issue Brief Topic

Contents

What Makes a Good Issue Brief Topic?

 To be most effective, topics for research for the issue briefs have the following characteristics:

• They are real (not made up)

• They matter to someone (a partner, agency, individual or group)

• Feedback from constituents is utilized

• The research results are presented in some way, as a useful product

Characteristics of topics or research that tend to be less effective:

• They are too broad or amorphous

• They are too narrow  

Working with Community Partners

While the policy research and issue brief process can still work without a real partner, we recommend that the research respond to requests from a local community organization, agency, school, or defined constituency.  In this regard, we view researching and writing an issue brief for a form of community-based research.

The process of defining a research topic with a community partner may involve a series of conversations that ideally also involve professors and campus staff who are involved in community-campus partnerships.  Typically, these conversations begin with identifying a few broad themes and issues.  However, they should then narrow down to a focused topic for the issue brief.  For example, the initial conversations with a agency serving the homeless would begin by covering areas of the agency's programming that are raising concerns or questions. They may then indicate that they are looking for model programs that serve the chronic homeless, which you learn in the conversation require a specific set of policy and program approaches that are different from those required to serve homeless families or those who are occasionally or at-risk of homelessness. 

Here is how you might carry out defining topics from partner interests:

1. Identify community partners that you already know or that your school already has a relationship.  Present to them the concept of community-based research and public policy research.
2. Talk with partners about their missions, program areas, programs, and structure of their work.  Then, ask them about some of the underlying public policies that may affect their work. Below are some specific questions to ask agency or organization representatives as you seek to define a topic for your issue brief: 

• Tell me (us) more about the type of services and work your organization is providing

• Tell me (us) more about the type of individuals and groups you are serving

• Tell me (us) more about some of the issues of public policy, legislation, or governmental work that may affect their funding, the design of their programs, or organizational capacity.

• Are there other programs or models that you draw on for your organization’s work?  Are there collaborative opportunities for learning and sharing that you are part of?

• Do you know who on the local government level works on these issues or that you interact with?  What about state level? Federal level?

• Do you have a specific project or issue in mind for public policy research or program model research?

3. Get a list of potential issue brief topics and then ask the partner to rank them.
4. See the recommendations in the next part of this guide to narrow and select a focus. 

Negotiating the Research Process with Community Partners

In terms of working effectively with non-profit partners, it’s helpful to remember that agencies and community groups can often be under-resourced, but in different ways.  Because of that, a student may experience frustration that agencies or their representatives seems disorganized, slow to respond, late with fulfilling requests, and so on.  These tips may be helpful to you as you negotiate the process:

1. Build a relationship with the agency, community, or group representative.  That means meeting in person, at least once.  The representative will want to get a sense of who you are, what your intentions are, how trustworthy you are, and so on.  Regardless, you will want to come across as organized, sincere, open-minded, trustworthy, and so on.
2. Find out from the representative how best she or he likes to communicate. Don’t assume the person is great on email, for example, as many agencies may not have great computers or internet access.  Some people prefer the phone, others like to meet in person though sporadically, and some may even have a secretary who can arrange this all for you. Ask.
3. If you need to provide information, do so in a digested way.  For example, summarize your request or information in brief bulleted format.  If you think the person needs to see or read more, provide that material as back up, but don’t necessarily expect that the representative has read it for your meeting or conversation.
4. Schedule meetings or conversations in advance, but confirm them (by phone) as the time approaches (day before, morning of). 
5. Structure feedback so that you can get what you are looking for, and at appropriate times. Have specific questions in mind, instead of just asking for ‘general feedback.’ For example, you can ask, “Does this goal statement align with what you need?”, “Do the options I’ve outlined seem clear and thorough?”, “Do my recommendations seem objective and sensible?”, “What kinds of information am I missing?”  This will help you avoid feedback (like wordsmithing, nitpicking about language, or vagueness), that isn’t helpful to you, your assignment, or the agency.  Make sure you get feedback at times that keeps you and the partner on the same page about the process, as this will help prevent frustration that arises from getting stuck, going too far and having to throw out work done, and so on.