Bute Geographies

Briefing Papers

A ‘Research Briefing Paper’ (also known as a Research Briefing or Briefing Paper) is a concise summary of research findings that is written for an informed, although not necessarily an expert, audience. Typically, research briefing papers are presented as a four-page A4-sized pamphlet, printed on A3-sized paper which is folded at its mid-point to form a stapleless seam. Each paper reaches a clear conclusion based on evidence and concise argument. This tends to result in a pace of writing that could best be described as ‘swift’. Yet, coherency and substance are the hallmarks of a good research briefing paper: this is no insignificant undertaking for a paper that is less than 2500 words in length!

Practising Geography, the second year undergraduate Human Geography module at Glasgow Caledonian University, offers individual students the option of submitting coursework in the form of a briefing paper based on a small-scale, fieldwork-based research project that they themselves have designed. On completion of the module, students can then elect to have their paper refereed by an independent expert (generally a member of one of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s Regional Centres) as part of the StuP project. Publication on the StuP project website is conditional on an acceptable referee’s report.

Here, we provide resources that could be adapted in other institutions to implement (i) briefing paper coursework (ii) similar student publication projects. These resources are presented as Microsoft Word files.

• Guidance Notes for Student Authors. An abbreviated version of this paper has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Geography in Higher Education.
• Briefing Paper Template (Mail Merge Master and Data File) and User Notes. These files can be used by students for manual (cut and paste) or automatic (mail merge function) formatting of text into briefing paper style.
• Guidance Notes for Academic Assessment of Briefing Paper Coursework. A criterion referenced system for assessing coursework is presented, which takes cognisance of both the overall product and the extent to which specific component parts have been correctly employed.
• Academic Assessment Marking Proforma. This marking cover sheet is for academic staff.
• Exemplar. An example of a briefing paper. Authored by Dr. John McKendrick and utilising data from a questionnaire survey of students’ perceptions of the Isle of Bute and island/rural living, which was undertaken in advance of a field visit to the island. This is Briefing Paper 1, which can be accessed from ‘Resources on the geography and environment of the Isle of Bute / Briefing Papers’.

Updated: 15 May, 2006