Getting the best out of your research

Starting your project

After signing the research agreement, you should have sent us some other documents as part of the contractual arrangements (for example, a copy of specified insurance policies and your organisation’s risk register). If you haven’t already done so, please send these as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary delays to the project starting and keep us informed of any changes as they arise.

Your project manager at IOSH will contact you to arrange a meeting. Most likely, this will be before your project begins. We’ll also want to have other meetings periodically, which can take place by video conference or face-to-face.

The purpose of these meetings is to help you understand our processes better, and for us to find out how the project is progressing. They will enable us to support you with any challenges in getting the best from the project.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for a scheduled meeting to speak to your project manager. You can call or email us at any time and keep us informed of changes as they arise.

Dr Karen Michell
Research Programme Lead – Occupational Health
karen.michell@iosh.com
+44 (0)116 257 3379

Dr Laura Bradshaw
Research Programme Lead – Technology/Changing Workplace
laura.bradshaw@iosh.com
+44 (0)116 257 3154

Genis Fernandes
Research Programme Lead – General Occupational Safety and Health
genis.fernandes@iosh.com
+44 (0)116 257 3174

Mary Ogungbeje
OSH Research Manager
mary.ogungbeje@iosh.com
+44 (0)116 257 3212

If you’re working with us for the first time, you can download the logo artwork and our approved supplier form.

Once the research agreement is signed, you’ll need to complete the approved supplier form if you are working with us for the first time. Relevant details will all be for Institution of Occupational Safety and Health not ‘IOSH Services Ltd’.

Please send the completed form back to your project manager and purchases@iosh.com, together with the bank details for payment on a company  letterheaded document. Once this is done, your project manager will send you a purchase order (PO) to enable you to send us invoices.

You’ll need to include the PO number on each invoice you send us otherwise we’ll be unable to accept it and this will cause payment delays.

Interim reports

When to send them

The frequency of financial and operational reports is determined by the project schedule and milestones/deliverables, and is recorded in the contract.

To avoid payment delays, we’ll review and approve your financial and operational report before we receive the invoice for that research period.

So please check with your IOSH project manager whether your finance or research office can send us invoices. Invoices should be sent to purchases@iosh.com with your project manager copied in.

Please also make sure you inform your finance or research office if we’ve agreed that you can postpone any of the delivery dates for project milestones.

When submitting your finance report to the IOSH project manager please ensure:

• the report is on a letter headed PDF document from your research organisation
• it includes a breakdown of the project costs against the relevant categories (for example, staff costs, travel and subsistence, capital, publication costs, sub-contracts, other costs) and milestone (for example, milestone 1, 2, 3, 4… )
• the report includes the PO number on it
• the amount in the finance report and the invoice match and reflect the actual project spend. The invoice will be payable within 30 days
• the milestones have been reached and outputs delivered for the reporting period (for example, costs cannot be claimed in advance or backdated). The finance report should indicate when the milestone was completed.

Operational report

We encourage you to write clearly and concisely and discourage lengthy reports unless there’s a particular need.

You should also supply supporting documents, as detailed in our research agreement, or agreed during a scheduled meeting with IOSH staff.

Your interim report should cover the following.

(a) Progress against original milestones, including:

• the methods you’re using
• what you’ve done so far and how you’re keeping on track. Please include the progress of milestones (for example, M1 100 per cent complete, M2 70 per cent complete)
• what your findings are, if applicable, and why they should interest OSH practitioners and IOSH
• identified project challenges and risks and, where there are any, what you’re doing to mitigate the risk.

(b) Any proposals for changes to milestones, if necessary, and implications for completion. Please note our change control process.

(c) Plans for the next phase of your project – these should include any variations from the original proposal or previously agreed revisions.

(d) Staffing changes, if any.

(e) Dissemination and impact, for example through:

• publication in journals – please forward submission details or a copy of the article, if available
• other publications (for example, trade press and edited books) – please supply copies if possible
• conference presentations
• any use of the project by stakeholders or the wider policy community
• media coverage (please see Working with our Marketing team)
• any other impact markers you wish to note.

Change control process

• A. Change identified by Principal Investigator and notified in writing with any financial implications to the IOSH project manager.
• B. Change justification and request submitted through the IOSH governance process by the IOSH project manager.
• C. IOSH project manager to inform the Principal Investigator of expected date of approval or decline.
• D. IOSH project manager to inform the Principal Investigator of the decision.

Planning and delivering your reports

At the end of the project, your Principal Investigator is responsible for delivering two reports on the funded research: a final full report aimed at the research community and a summary report for practitioners.

The invoice for your final reports should be sent only after our peer review process has concluded and we’ve informed you that we are satisfied with the reports. Please note that, on average, our review process takes from eight to 12 weeks.

The final full and summary reports will be stand-alone publications posted on our website and made freely available. Once posted, we strongly encourage you to publish the findings of the research in other locations as well (whether in print or online), and to keep us informed (subject to the process in our funding agreement).

Producing your full report

The final full report you send us should be a print-ready copy, which will be posted and made freely available on our website.

To help ensure you don't leave anything out of your report by mistake and to avoid any delay in the publishing process, please read the guidelines below, as well as the Style guide section. Reports that don’t follow our guidance will be sent back to the Principal Investigator for further revision.

Your full report should be a comprehensive record of what you set out to achieve and why, how you went about it, the results you obtained and your interpretation of them. The main part of the report should normally be no more than 50,000 words.

When drafting the report, take care to avoid long sentences and paragraphs. Use language and vocabulary that is easy to understand and use active rather than passive voice.

Title page

Ideally, we’d like a short, snappy title as a headline, followed by a more precise description, which could be longer. For example, ‘Joined-up working – an introduction to integrated management systems’. The title page should also include the names, qualifications, affiliations and addresses of the report’s authors – and the month and year of publication.

Contents page

This should list the main sections and sub-sections, as well as the page number on which each begins.

Lists of tables and figures

There are two ways of numbering tables and figures. If your report has many tables and figures, it’s best to number them by section. So, for example, the first figure in Section 3 would be Figure 3.1. If your report doesn’t have many figures or tables, you may prefer to number them consecutively.

Acknowledgements

Please acknowledge any help and support you’ve received from individuals and organisations.

Abstract

Please write up to 300 words summarising the research problem, the theoretical framework, the design of your study, your main findings and their implications.

Executive summary

This is a key part of the report. Please provide a clear and concise summary of the contents of the report, highlighting the main points. The executive summary must stand alone: it shouldn’t refer readers to other sections of the report.

Main text 

You may find the following suggestions for sections and their contents useful.

Introduction

This should include:

• the background to the problem, including a brief statement of what is being studied
• the rationale for the investigation
• its significance
• an explanation of the theoretical framework (if appropriate)
• definitions of concepts and terms, in the context of the research
• the project’s aims.

Literature review

This must be comprehensive and relevant. Highlight deficiencies or knowledge gaps in the existing literature, so that the need for your study is clear.

Study design and methodology

Explain how your study works, including:

• a detailed description and justification of the data collection and analysis methods used
• your sampling approach and target population
• any issues relating to validity and reliability
• any ethical issues, including gaining the approval of survey respondents
• any limitations that the study may have.

Findings and results

The presentation of your results should be:

• factual
• comprehensive
• clear
• logical
• sufficiently detailed to enable the reader to follow your reasoning.

Discussion

The main part of your report should end with an analysis and discussion of your findings and their implications.

Refer to your literature review and the aims of the study and make a link between them and your results. You should also include an appraisal of the strengths and limitations of your study.

Conclusion 

Provide a concise summary of the findings and recommendations for policy and practice (if any) and further research.

End matter

Appendices

If you want to expand on the data you’ve given in the main text or want to make further points that are peripheral to your main study, add an appendix or appendices at the end of the report. For example, if your study included a survey or questionnaire, you may want to include a copy of the questions you asked as an appendix. Remember to refer readers to the relevant appendix at the necessary points in the main text.

References and bibliography

Draw a distinction between these two elements. References are sources you’ve used to corroborate what you’ve said and need to be tied explicitly to the points in the text to which they refer. Number the references in the order in which you use them. For more details, see the style guide section

Include a bibliography if you want to list sources of information (other than those in your references section) that you haven’t directly mentioned but feel might interest readers.

List entries in alphabetical order by author surname. Again, see the style guide section on how to set out your bibliography.

Ethics, plagiarism and copyright

Check with the author or originator to get clearance for any material that you want to use or reproduce in the report.

We expect you to apply good research practices and to acknowledge the use of someone else’s work and ideas appropriately in your report. The same applies if you publish our research and related outputs in other places. You must give an attribution to IOSH if you use any of our copyrighted material. For permissions, contact your IOSH project manager.

Please supply the text of your report in Microsoft Word. It may sound obvious but please check for typographical and grammatical errors and get your report proof-read several times – once by a person outside your research team. If your university or research institute has an in-house editor, run the report past them.

What you provide us with must be of a high standard and follow the guidelines below. If your report lacks attention to detail, or doesn’t follow our guidelines, it’s likely to be sent back for changes and may affect any planned publication launch date.

We acknowledge that the widespread availability of artificial intelligence (AI) tools presents various opportunities for research but is not free of limitations. For transparency, any use of AI or generative AI tools in the research activities should be clearly stated. 

Style guide

Type font and type size

Use the Arial font at a size of 10 points, with a 12-point line space.

Images and diagrams

Any images and diagrams included should be as large as possible, of good quality, not grainy or blurred, with as high a resolution as possible (300 dpi is ideal).

You can improve the readability of your summary report by including one or two visual representations of your information. You can use pictures, diagrams or tables as appropriate. It’s easiest to choose from what you’ve already included in your full report, but it’s fine if you want to present the information differently. Please refer to the ‘Ethics, plagiarism and copyright’ section above.

Abbreviations

You can abbreviate terms or names that you use frequently, and which would be cumbersome if written in full each time. When you first use the term, write it in full followed by the abbreviation in brackets. You can then use the abbreviation for the rest of the document. If you use a lot of abbreviations, please provide a list at the beginning of the report.

Citing references in the text

Please use the Vancouver referencing system. Number the references in the order you use them, placing a superscript number in the text at the relevant point. If you refer to the same work more than once, use the same reference number for all instances – don’t clutter up the list of references with ‘op. cit.’ or ‘loc. cit.’ entries.

Formatting references and bibliography entries

Give as much detail as possible about your sources of information, whether they’re academic papers, books, internet resources or anything else.

The key is to give enough information to enable readers to find the work themselves in a library or on a website. Please give full and accurate web addresses for documents that are publicly available online or DOI for journals.

For work published in a language other than English (including on the internet), please provide the title in the original language, as this will be the only way an interested reader can search for it. If you think it would help, feel free to add an English translation as well.

In the summary report, references should be very minimal, as we will refer readers to the full report if they want more detailed information. If you feel that references are necessary in the summary report, add them as footnotes.

Papers in academic journals

Rantanen J, Lehtinen S, Valenti A, et al. A global survey on occupational health services in selected international commission on occupational health (ICOH) member countries. BMC Public Health. 2017, 17:787. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4800-z

Please provide the year of publication, volume and issue number, and page range.

Books

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH): Wave generation: a model approach to socially sustainable safety and health e-book. Wigston: IOSH; 2022. 

Chapter in a multi-authored work

Esbester M, Almond A. Do the public have a problem with health and safety? In: Dingwall R, Frost S. editors. Health and Safety in a Changing World (1st ed.). Routledge; 2016. p. 16-35. 

Websites

How you treat these depends on the nature of the material. If it’s a published work along the lines of conventional paper publications, then use the conventions given above. If it’s a shorter piece, a title (if there is one) or a short description in roman text will be fine. Either way, give a full web address and the date on which you viewed it or last verified that it still works. Please set web addresses as live hyperlinks.

Footnotes

Keep these to a minimum, and don’t use them when a reference (see above) is more appropriate. Footnotes are for expansions around a point that doesn’t quite fit into your main narrative, rather than explanations of where you got the material. But ask yourself whether you could work the extra information into the main text or whether you need it at all. If you wish, you can use the automatic footnote function in Microsoft Word. Where you have one footnote on a page, use an asterisk.

Where you have more than one, use symbols in the following sequence: * † ‡ § || ¶.

In the summary report, avoid footnotes if possible. Explain technical terms in the main text and avoid lengthy explanations of aspects of the research that aren’t central to your message.

Summary report

Most of the guidelines for the full report also apply to your summary report, but there are additional points to bear in mind.

The summary report is intended to be read by non-academics as well as researchers, so should be easy to read. You should write it in short sentences and paragraphs and with minimal use of jargon. Using bullet points is a good way of drawing attention to important information quickly.

If possible, avoid overly technical terms. If you do need to use them, provide a brief explanation. Note that we’ll edit and typeset your summary report before it’s printed and uploaded on to the IOSH website.

Producing your summary report

We recommend that you prepare the summary report after the peer review of the full report. Your summary report should be an extended executive summary of no more than 2,000 words. This limit will not apply if your summary includes some good practice guidelines or case studies as an additional section. In this case, your summary report will form part of our ‘Research into practice’ portfolio.

Based on the report you provide us, if necessary, we’ll help to ensure it’s primarily aimed at a practitioner audience.

We’d like the summary to include all the major findings of the project and any details that a health and safety practitioner or other identified stakeholder, such as a policy maker or employer, would find particularly useful in their area of work. To help, please send us a report with sections drafted with the following format.

What’s the problem?

This should include:

• the background to the problem – ideally, you should put it into some sort of practical context
• the rationale for and significance of the investigation
• the project’s aim and objectives (250 words suggested).

What did our researchers do?

Briefly and succinctly explain how you carried out your study. Ideally, you should divide this section into the main phases of your project (400 words suggested).

What were the results?

This section should highlight your key findings, referring to the project objectives and quoting any relevant data (750 words suggested).

What does this research mean?

You should evaluate your findings here and draw out any significant and meaningful points that may help affirm or shape occupational safety and health policy and practice. Include any recommendations from the study here – this could be targeted at any stakeholder. For example, occupational safety and health practitioner, employer or policy-maker (450 words suggested).

Don’t forget… 

This section covers the strengths and limitations of the project. Highlight what makes it a good research study and why it stands out. In terms of limitations, it’s not necessary to list all the shortfalls of the project – just the main ones (up to 200 words suggested).

Appendix

If your research has produced any practical outputs demonstrating ‘good practice in action’, such as a checklist, model or case studies, then please either incorporate these in the report or include them as an appendix.

Footnotes

Avoid footnotes if possible. Explain technical terms in the main text and avoid lengthy explanations of aspects of the research that aren’t central to your message.

Sending us your reports

Before peer review

At the end of your project, please send the full research report to us so that we can start the review process. You should email your full report to your project manager at IOSH.

The review process will usually involve an IOSH editor and at least two external reviewers – a subject matter expert/academic and an IOSH member.

After the peer review, you may be asked to address any issues raised and make revisions. At the same time, we’ll advise you of any style changes you need to make.

After peer review

Once we’re satisfied with the final report, we’ll ask you to send us the final version, as well as your summary report and any other research outputs we’ve agreed. If your files aren’t too big, you can email them to your project manager or send them through a cloud storage or transfer provider such as Dropbox, OneDrive or WeTransfer.

Please note: for any data submitted to IOSH, it is the responsibility of the researchers to ensure it adheres to local compliance laws and policies.

When we receive your full report, we’ll add a front and back cover and prepare it for uploading to the IOSH research library. Your summary report, and any other research outputs, will be on the same webpage.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact your project manager.

Evaluation and impact

Evaluating your research is essential. Evaluation makes sure that the emphasis placed on key messages is appropriate and helps us to identify any barriers or difficulties in disseminating your results. We recommend a blend of internal and external reviews.

The internal review should be organised by your institution and exclude any co-investigators, members of the research team or anyone with a conflict of interest.

We’ll arrange an external review with at least two independent subject matter experts once we receive your report. This process can take between eight and 12 weeks.

About a year after publication of your report, as part of our wider evaluation programme, we’ll evaluate how your project has performed against its original objectives and made a return on investment, and how the research outputs have contributed to:

• supporting academia. For example, published peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers and poster presentations
• helping practitioners and employers. For example, guidance and tools, trade and industry articles, conference and group talks
• influencing or changing policy or practice, whether at a local or national level, or through media articles and interviews.

The outcome of our evaluation can affect whether we fund your research again in the future. So, it’s important we’re able to ascertain a fair and comprehensive picture of how you managed the research, your dissemination activities and its impact.

To help us with our evaluation and learn about the impact of the project, we’re particularly interested to hear about ways your project has raised awareness, furthered knowledge and changed action. So even after the project has finished, please keep us informed of:

• any social media activity and media coverage
• books or chapters published
• articles published in journals or in trade and industry magazines
• conference, seminar or group presentations and events.

Logos, branding and acknowledgments

The ‘Funded by IOSH Research’ logo is important to you and to us, and we want you to display your relationship to the world’s largest professional health and safety organisation with pride.

You can use this logo on your website, brochures and stationery, providing you follow the usage guidelines, which you can find in the downloads section at the bottom of the page.

To make the logo as versatile as possible while maintaining consistency, it’s only available in two versions – full colour and white. 

If you need guidance on this, please contact us at brand@iosh.com.

Where can I use the Funded by IOSH Research logo?

The logo recognises your project’s status as being financially supported by IOSH. This means that the logo can be used only in direct relation to the project for which you are receiving IOSH funding.

Examples of correct use:

• adjacent to the title of your IOSH-funded project
• on any webpages, social media or literature specific to your IOSH-funded project.

Where can’t I use the Funded by IOSH Research logo? 

The logo is for your project’s exclusive use as a recipient of IOSH funding, so it’s important that you don’t imply an association between IOSH and you or your organisation.

Please don’t use the logo on:

• your organisation’s generic letterheads
• covers or generic information pages in brochures – only use it alongside details of the IOSH-funded project
• your organisation’s homepage or other generic webpages.

If you want to use our logos on any project-related material, (for example, letters, flyers and questionnaire surveys) please send a copy to our Brand Team and your project manager for approval.

The dashed-lined rectangle represents the extent of the logo’s safety space. Please keep this area clear of all other text, graphics and busy areas of images if using it with a photo.

To clarify that your research is funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, please give an acknowledgement.

For example, the sentence, ‘This work is funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health through its Research Fund’ may be added. And, where appropriate, followed by a link to our research webpage.

You can find the Funded by IOSH Research logos in the downloads section at the bottom of this page.

Dissemination and knowledge-sharing

Disseminating your research enables new ideas in occupational safety and health to reach the largest possible audience. This helps to improve health and safety policy and practice and stimulates more research and development in your chosen area.

Why we want you to disseminate your findings

• it maximises the impact of your research on the development of health and safety policy and practice
• it forms a key part of good practice in the research process
• it increases the evidence and knowledge base in occupational safety and health
• it promotes IOSH’s profile and influence as a research sponsor and thought leader
• it justifies our funding decisions to our membership and to the Charity Commission.

We like to have a co-ordinated approach in promoting and sharing our findings. Tell us in advance if you’re planning to submit an abstract or give a presentation on your research at an event.

We also encourage the use of digital content to disseminate findings, such as webinars, podcasts and social media activity. Contact our team to discuss your ideas.

Key elements of a research dissemination plan 

Dissemination goals

Include short-term or interim objectives and long-term goals (eg change in policy, practice or culture).

Target audiences

Prioritise potential audiences: eg practitioners, policy-makers, public, regulators, unions, businesses and academics. Tailor the dissemination plan according to the interests of each. In all instances, ensure that the findings are accessible and easily understood.

Key messages

Describe the context and rationale for the research. Explain the results, why they’re important and what actions should be taken. What should people think, feel and do in response to the findings? How do the results fit with the existing body of knowledge? State if there were any limitations to the research.

Pathways and barriers

Identify pathways to each target audience. Activities that promote dialogue can be effective. Devise a strategy to avoid misinterpretation or misapplication of findings and to deal with any complex, inconclusive or contradictory findings.

Budget

This is often underestimated.

Evaluation

Research evaluation helps to identify barriers and risks. Identify measurable evaluation criteria.

Working with our Marketing team

As IOSH’s Research Programme is funded by our members, they should be among the first to learn about developments in our sponsored research. So, it’s vital they’re kept well-informed about the project.

The IOSH Media team is experienced in finding strong news angles and compelling stories in research findings and OSH knowledge, so be prepared to work with them and explore ideas for communicating your work.

Co-ordinated communications help safeguard the future of our research activities. We want your institution to work with IOSH on communications planning, which can cover stakeholder relations, media releases, publication of articles and papers in journals, scholarly dissemination and digital engagement.

Communication objectives

In the communication of our research programme, we aim to:

• ensure people are at the heart of health and safety
• be a thought leader and definitive voice for health and safety at work
• develop better policies and advice to improve professional practice, regulations and behaviour
• champion pragmatic risk management, based on professional advice
• support our members as leaders in health and safety in their communities and workplaces
• promote the benefits of good workplace health and safety
• work with researchers and their institutions to communicate the research programme’s objectives clearly and accessibly
• support researchers in their projects by supplying a good communications service
• engage our members, involving them in debates about how they interpret today’s OSH regulations
• fill knowledge gaps in workplace health and safety that may leave the profession open to criticism.

Target audiences

Each research project has its own focus and natural audience. While OSH professionals may be the common ‘public’ for all projects in the IOSH research programme, each project will attract its own sector-specific groups.

When your project launches, a conversation between your team and IOSH will help decide target audiences and channels.

Providing the right information

In the first quarter of your project, we’ll ask your project leader to complete a short questionnaire to help with our preparations for disseminating your research findings. The questions and topics we’ll ask about are likely to be along the following lines.

• What health and safety problem does your research or product address?
• Why did you choose this topic/issue?
• Explain the methodology behind your research.
• Outline the research findings and analyse the results.
• What makes your research or product stand out in comparison to existing research, and in what ways is it new or ground-breaking?
• How could your research benefit health and safety professionals?
• Which end-users would benefit from your research or product, and how would it be of use to them?
• What recent or future events might help or hinder a target audience’s interest in your research? (For example, a nationwide government campaign or initiative linked to your topic).
• What difficulties may there be in responding to your research findings or introducing your product?
• Which pathways are most appropriate for disseminating your research findings and why?
• Does your research highlight an issue that suggests the need for a change in policy or legislation?
• What is the main call to action?

Key messages

IOSH prefers a positive ‘solutions-focused’ tone when communicating with wider audiences about health and safety via news releases and digital media. We recommend you work with us to co-create and agree sets of key messages that explain why the research is taking place and its potential impacts.

Who to contact

If you want to talk to us about any communications for your study, please get in touch with your project manager who will introduce you to the IOSH Marketing team.

We’ll work closely with you and your press office to develop a communications plan for your project and ensure that you, your institution and IOSH are all vital parts of the story.

Please let us know of any relevant press office or media team contact details at your institution as early as possible.

Our team helps determine the best channels and tactics to promote our research activities, including IOSH’s own social media channels, established and new relationships with journalists, and other suitable outlets.

The team includes:

Marcus Boocock
PR Lead
marcus.boocock@iosh.com
+44 (0)116 257 3139

Jasmeen Daji
Social Media and Community Lead
jasmeen.daji@iosh.com
+44 (0)116 257 3258

Useful links and resources

• Send completed forms and invoices to purchases@iosh.com
• IOSH research library
• Guide to responsible research
• A global survey on occupational health services in selected international commission on occupational health (ICOH) member countries
• Wave generation: a model approach to socially sustainable safety and health - IOSH e-book
• Do the public have a problem with health and safety?
• Support our research