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Closer - The home of longitudinal research

Interactive briefing note template

Use this bespoke template to showcase your most policy-relevant findings in an accessible way and help clearly demonstrate their significance to policy.

Instructions: enter your details and research findings in the form below. You will then be automatically emailed a fully-formatted briefing note.

Please note: we do not collect or share any personal data or information that is entered on this form. We do not see any of the information you enter – the final document is created and sent to you automatically.

Capture the nature of your research and the topic/policy areas addressed in a few words so the reader can clearly see at a glance what the focus of the briefing note is. E.g. “Case study: Using longitudinal research to inform and shape active travel policy” or “COVID-19 Briefing Note: evidence and insights from longitudinal population studies.”
  • Insert a very short description of your organisation or, if applicable, yourself as a researcher. This is to show why you are a good and reliable source of information
  • Summarise 4-10 key points from the research findings and policy recommendations that you detail below. These can be either a single short summary paragraph or bullet points. (50-200 words)
  • The purpose of this is to provide an at-a-glance summary for time-poor policymakers and encourage them to read on.
  • Provide essential background information. What is the issue, and why does it matter?
  • Highlight any urgency of the matter and why action is needed. Include relevant data, research findings, or statistics.
  • Summarise your most pertinent evidence on the topic in question.
  • Can work well in bullet-point form or with highlights of key sentences or words/phrases in bold to make these stand out.
  • Include references in separate references box at end of form to save space.
  • This is what policymakers are most interested in.
  • Offer actionable ideas for future policies based on the findings you give above.
  • If you are not a policy expert, it is helpful to see what has been suggested in debates on the topic already and to choose from there. Often think-tank reports contain suggested recommendations you can draw from, and international examples are useful inspiration. You can reference these to ensure policymakers know you are drawing from external sources.
(please leave blank if you plan to insert references in the Word document or using a reference manager after you have created your briefing note).

For writing guidance please refer to Key points for writing your briefing note.