IMPACT Inaugural Issue - Call for Submissions
Submission Deadline: June 26, 2026
About IMPACT
IMPACT is a new open-access journal and web platform dedicated to advancing and improving knowledge on the ways that research, evidence, research use, and scientific discovery lead to broader impacts in the world. IMPACT aims to help us understand and improve the likelihood that the tools and products of scientific discovery support changes in decisions, policies, and practices that positively impact our societies. Improving our understanding of the connection between scientific discovery and societal impact will inform R&D and investment in research, foster more impactful research, and enhance society’s understanding of the value of research and scientific discovery.
Most journals speak to one community. IMPACT speaks across scholarly, funder, policy, practitioner, and disciplinary divides. IMPACT is built on the premise that multiple kinds of knowledge—public and private, empirical and experiential, disciplinary and applied, global and local—are necessary to understand and facilitate the impact of research and scientific discovery. The inaugural issue of IMPACT will be launched in November 2026 and bring together a global community of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders working to advance the contribution of research, evidence, and scientific discovery to society.
IMPACT is being launched by a team from American University, the Impact Funders Forum (hosted by The Pew Charitable Trusts), and Sage Publishing.
The First Issue: Themes and Priorities
The inaugural issue is organized around three interconnected themes that reflect the most pressing and foundational questions in the field today. We are particularly interested in pieces that aim to reflect and summarize the current state of knowledge.
1. Understanding and Improving the Impact of Research, Evidence, and Scientific Discovery
We are interested in work that advances our understanding of how, when, and why research, evidence, or scientific discovery has an impact, and what can be done to make that impact more likely. Topics may include, among others: (1) empirical and theoretical work on research uptake, knowledge mobilization, and evidence use; (2) predictors of scientific discovery and its impact; (3) predictors of private sector adoption of research innovations and its impact; (4) methodological, conceptual, empirical, or technical explorations of “impact;” and (5) methodological, conceptual, or empirical innovations in studying the pathways from research to impact.
2. Institutionalization and Scaling
How do we move from isolated successes to enduring systems? This theme covers the political, organizational, and strategic dimensions of building an ecosystem that supports the impact of research, evidence, and scientific discovery. We welcome work that examines, among other topics: (1) How public or private institutions can facilitate the translation of research, evidence, and scientific discovery into impact; (2) workforce development: what skills, roles, and cultures enable impact at scale; (3) funder strategies, incentives, and the politics of measurement and accountability; (4) innovations in higher education and research organizations in support of broader research impact; and (5) ecosystem studies that describe the multiple actors that may play a role in fostering the translation of scientific discovery and research into broader impact.
3. Action and Examples
We learn by example. IMPACT seeks case-based work that starts from demonstrable change—a policy shifted, a product created, a practice reformed, an institution changed, an idea scaled, a community better served—that emerged and traces the role that research, evidence, or scientific discovery played in getting there. This includes, among other topics: (1) In-depth, detailed examinations of specific cases of research impact; and (2) reflective accounts from practitioners, companies, funders, intermediaries, or research teams on what worked, what did not, and why.
Content Types
IMPACT welcomes submissions across five content types:
1) Commentaries and Perspectives
Shorter, argument-driven pieces that engage a current question in the field, challenge a prevailing assumption, or propose a new conceptual direction. Accessible to non-specialist readers. 1,500–3,000 words.
2) Tools and Resources
Practical instruments – frameworks, guides, protocols, assessment tools, templates, or methodological resources – that practitioners and researchers can adopt and adapt to strengthen research and evidence use and impact across diverse contexts. Proposals welcome; format and length negotiable.
3) Interactives
Interactive presentations of research and evidence such as data visualizations, explorable models, frameworks, etc. that actively engage readers. Proposals welcome; format and length negotiable.
4) Research Articles
Original empirical or theoretical work advancing the understanding of how scientific discovery, research, research use, research institutions, or support for research, etc. is facilitated and fosters impact in the world. Between 8,000 and 10,000 words not including references.
5) Research Notes
Concise contributions that present a focused scholarly finding, discrete empirical result, new data sets, a methodological innovation, or new insights about how research leads to impact. Between 3,000 and 4,000 words. Despite their brevity, research notes should include sufficient context (either methodological or theoretical detail) to allow readers to evaluate the contribution but do not need to be exhaustive.
Review Process
The review process will vary for different types of content:
· Research articles and case studies will be peer-reviewed by expert reviewers.
· Commentaries, perspectives, and multimedia submissions will be editorially reviewed by the IMPACT editorial team and advisory committee members.
· All content will clearly indicate the review process it underwent, receive a DOI, and be published by Sage Publishing.
· IMPACT is fully open access. There are currently no article processing charges.
How to Submit
Expressions of interest should be sent to ImpactJournal@american.edu by June 26, 2026.
If you have a piece in progress, a case you think belongs in the issue, or are unsure whether your work is a good fit, we encourage you to reach out to ImpactJournal@american.edu before the deadline. We would rather hear from you early than have a strong submission arrive too late.
Please include in your submission:
· A title and 250-word abstract describing the piece and its relevance to IMPACT’s themes;
· An indication of the content type you are submitting; and
· A brief author bio (2–3 sentences) for each contributor.
Key Dates
· Abstract submission deadline: June 26, 2026
· Submission invitation communicated: July 17, 2026
· Manuscripts due: September 1, 2026
· Final revisions due: October 1, 2026
· Publication: November 1, 2026
Contact
Prof. Susanna Campbell, Editor-in-Chief and Provost Associate Professor, American University: susanna.campbell@american.edu
Aaron Stanley, IMPACT Manager: astanley@american.edu