# How to … Maximise Your Clinical Education Research Impact

## TL;DR

This guide helps postdoctoral researchers in clinical education plan and demonstrate the real-world impact of their work from the start.

## Contribution

The paper provides a practical framework for integrating impact planning into clinical education research projects.

## Key findings

- Impact should be integrated early and continuously in research projects to align with real-world priorities.
- Engaging stakeholders from the start improves the relevance and uptake of research outcomes.
- Using participatory and implementation-focused methods increases the likelihood of meaningful impact.

## Abstract

Researchers are increasingly expected to demonstrate that their work leads to impact beyond academia, particularly when seeking research funding. Yet practical guidance on how to plan for, achieve and evidence impact in Clinical Education Research (ClinEdR) remains limited. This guide offers pragmatic advice to support postdoctoral researchers in designing fundable projects and producing work that leads to meaningful change. We argue that impact should be considered from the start of a research project, not added at the end. Early and ongoing engagement with potential research beneficiaries, including educators, learners, institutions, professional bodies, policymakers and patients, helps ensure that research addresses real‐world priorities. Such engagement can shape research questions, study design and outputs, strengthening both grant applications and the likelihood of downstream uptake. This how to guide outlines the value of articulating a clear impact goal and mapping a credible pathway to impact that distinguishes between outputs, outcomes and longer term benefits. We discuss how methodological choices can enable impact, with attention to participatory, design‐based and implementation‐focused approaches that have change embedded within them. We also highlight the importance of embedding impact checkpoints throughout a project, recognising that impact is often non‐linear, delayed and context dependent. Finally, we describe deliberate, audience‐specific dissemination strategies and practical ways to evidence impact beyond traditional academic metrics. Embedding impact thinking across the research lifecycle can enhance the relevance, reach and value of ClinEdR, while supporting postdoctoral researchers to meet funder, institutional and societal expectations.