what is a policy brief assignment

Policy Briefs

What this handout is about.

This handout will offer tips for writing effective policy briefs. Be sure to check with your instructor about their specific expectations for your assignment.

What are policy briefs?

Imagine that you’re an elected official serving on a committee that sets the standards cars must meet to pass a state inspection. You know that this is a complex issue, and you’d like to learn more about existing policies, the effects of emissions on the environment and on public health, the economic consequences of different possible approaches, and more–you want to make an informed decision. But you don’t have time to research all of these issues! You need a policy brief.

A policy brief presents a concise summary of information that can help readers understand, and likely make decisions about, government policies. Policy briefs may give objective summaries of relevant research, suggest possible policy options, or go even further and argue for particular courses of action.

How do policy briefs differ from other kinds of writing assignments?

You may encounter policy brief assignments in many different academic disciplines, from public health and environmental science to education and social work. If you’re reading this handout because you’re having your first encounter with such an assignment, don’t worry–many of your existing skills and strategies, like using evidence , being concise , and organizing your information effectively , will help you succeed at this form of writing. However, policy briefs are distinctive in several ways.

In some of your college writing, you’ve addressed your peers, your professors, or other members of your academic field. Policy briefs are usually created for a more general reader or policy maker who has a stake in the issue that you’re discussing.

Tone and terminology

Many academic disciplines discourage using unnecessary jargon, but clear language is especially important in policy briefs. If you find yourself using jargon, try to replace it with more direct language that a non-specialist reader would be more likely to understand. When specialized terminology is necessary, explain it quickly and clearly to ensure that your reader doesn’t get confused.

Policy briefs are distinctive in their focus on communicating the practical implications of research to a specific audience. Suppose that you and your roommate both write research-based papers about global warming. Your roommate is writing a research paper for an environmental science course, and you are writing a policy brief for a course on public policy. You might both use the exact same sources in writing your papers. So, how might those papers differ?

Your roommate’s research paper is likely to present the findings of previous studies and synthesize them in order to present an argument about what we know. It might also discuss the methods and processes used in the research.

Your policy brief might synthesize the same scientific findings, but it will deploy them for a very specific purpose: to help readers decide what they should do. It will relate the findings to current policy debates, with an emphasis on applying the research outcomes rather than assessing the research procedures. A research paper might also suggest practical actions, but a policy brief is likely to emphasize them more strongly and develop them more fully.

To support these changes in audience, tone, and purpose, policy briefs have a distinctive format. You should consult your assignment prompt and/or your professor for instructions about the specific requirements of your assignment, but most policy briefs have several features in common. They tend to use lots of headings and have relatively short sections. This structure differs from many short papers in the humanities that may have a title but no further headings, and from reports in the sciences that may follow the “IMRAD” structure of introduction, methods, results, and discussion. Your brief might include graphs, charts, or other visual aids that make it easier to digest the most important information within sections.  Policy briefs often include some of these sections:

• Title: A good title quickly communicates the contents of the brief in a memorable way.
• Executive Summary: This section is often one to two paragraphs long; it includes an overview of the problem and the proposed policy action.
• Context or Scope of Problem: This section communicates the importance of the problem and aims to convince the reader of the necessity of policy action.
• Policy Alternatives: This section discusses the current policy approach and explains proposed options. It should be fair and accurate while convincing the reader why the policy action proposed in the brief is the most desirable.
• Policy Recommendations: This section contains the most detailed explanation of the concrete steps to be taken to address the policy issue.
• Appendices: If some readers might need further support in order to accept your argument but doing so in the brief itself might derail the conversation for other readers, you might include the extra information in an appendix.
• Consulted or Recommended Sources: These should be reliable sources that you have used throughout your brief to guide your policy discussion and recommendations.

Depending on your specific topic and assignment, you might combine sections or break them down into several more specific ones.

How do I identify a problem for my policy brief?

An effective policy brief must propose a solution to a well-defined problem that can be addressed at the level of policy. This may sound easy, but it can take a lot of work to think of a problem in a way that is open to policy action.

For example, “bad spending habits in young adults” might be a problem that you feel strongly about, but you can’t simply implement a policy to “make better financial decisions.” In order to make it the subject of a policy brief, you’ll need to look for research on the topic and narrow it down. Is the problem a lack of financial education, predatory lending practices, dishonest advertising, or something else? Narrowing to one of these (and perhaps further) would allow you to write a brief that can propose concrete policy action.

For another example, let’s say that you wanted to address children’s health. This is a big issue, and too broad to serve as the focus of a policy brief, but it could serve as a starting point for research. As you begin to research studies on children’s health, you might decide to zoom in on the more specific issue of childhood obesity. You’ll need to consult the research further to decide what factors contribute to it in order to propose policy changes. Is it lack of exercise, nutritional deficiencies, a combination of these, or something else? Choosing one or another of these issues, your brief would zoom in even further to specific proposals that might include exercise initiatives, nutritional guidelines, or school lunch programs.

The key is that you define the problem and its contributing factors as specifically as possible so that some sort of concrete policy action (at the local, state, or national level) is feasible.

Framing the issue

Once you’ve identified the problem for yourself, you need to decide how you will present it to your reader. Your own process of identifying the problem likely had some stops, starts, and dead-ends, but your goal in framing the issue for your reader is to provide the most direct path to understanding the problem and the proposed policy change. It can be helpful to think of some of the most pressing questions your audience will have and attempt to preemptively answer those questions. Here are some questions you might want to consider:

What is the problem?

Understanding what the problem is, in the clearest terms possible, will give your reader a reference point. Later, when you’re discussing complex information, your reader can refer back to the initial problem. This will help to ‘anchor’ them throughout the course of your argument. Every piece of information in the brief should be clearly and easily connected to the problem.

What is the scope of the problem?

Knowing the extent of the problem helps to frame the policy issue for your reader. Is the problem statewide, national, or international? How many people does this issue affect? Daily? Annually? This is a great place for any statistical information you may have gathered through your research.

Who are the stakeholders?

Who does this issue affect? Adult women? College-educated men? Children from bilingual homes? The primary group being affected is important, and knowing who this group is allows the reader to assign a face to the policy issue.

Policy issues can include a complex network of stakeholders. Double check whether you have inadvertently excluded any of them from your analysis. For example, a policy about children’s nutrition obviously involves the children, but it might also include food producers, distributors, parents, and nutritionists (and other experts). Some stakeholders might be reluctant to accept your policy change or even acknowledge the existence of the problem, which is why your brief must be convincing in its use of evidence and clear in its communication.

Effective policy-writing

This handout has emphasized that good policy briefs are clear, concise, and focused on applying credible research to policy problems. Let’s take a look at two versions of the introduction to a policy brief to see how someone might write and revise to achieve these qualities:

A “not-so-good” policy brief

Adolescents’ Dermatologic Health in Outlandia: A Call to Action

The Report on Adolescents’ Dermatologic Health in Outlandia (2010), issued by Secretary of Health Dr. Polly Galver, served as a platform to increase public awareness on the importance of dermatologic health for adolescents. Among the major themes of the report are that dermatologic health is essential to general health and well-being and that profound and consequential dermatologic health disparities exist in the state of Outlandia. Dr. Galver stated that what amounts to a silent epidemic of acne is affecting some population groups–restricting activities as schools, work, and home–and often significantly diminishing the quality of life. Dr. Galver issued the Report on Adolescents’ Dermatologic Health as a wake-up call to policymakers and health professionals on issues regarding the state’s dermatologic health. (“ Not so good policy brief ,” Reproduced with permission of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.)

This paragraph introduces a relevant and credible source, but it fails to use that source to explain a problem and propose policy action. The reader is likely to be confused because the word “acne” does not appear until the middle of the paragraph, and the brief never states what action should be taken to address it. In addition to this lack of focus, the paragraph also includes unnecessary phrases like “among the major themes” that could be removed to make it more concise.

A better policy brief

Seeing Spots: Addressing the Silent Epidemic of Acne in Outlandia’s Youth

Acne is the most common chronic disease among adolescents in Outlandia (Outlandia Department of Health, 2010). Long considered a benign rite of passage, acne actually has far-reaching effects on the health and well being of adolescents, significantly affecting success in school, social relationships, and general quality of life. Yet large portions of the state’s population are unable to access treatment for acne. The Secretary of Health’s Report on Adolescents’ Dermatologic Health in Outlandia (2010) is a call to action for policymakers and health professionals to improve the health and wellbeing of Outlandia’s youth by increasing access to dermatologic care (“ A Better Policy Brief” , Reproduced with permission of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.)

This paragraph is far more focused and concise than the first version. The opening sentence is straightforward; instead of focusing on the source, it makes a clear and memorable point that is supported by the source. Additionally, though the first version was titled “a call to action,” it did not actually say what that action might be. In this version, it is clear that the call is for increased access to dermatologic care.

Keep in mind that clarity, conciseness, and consistent focus are rarely easy to achieve in a first draft. Careful editing and revision are key parts of writing policy briefs.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Smith, Catherine F. 2016. Writing Public Policy , 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Young, Eoin, and Lisa Quinn. n.d. “The Policy Brief.” University of Delaware. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blog.lrei.org/dist/c/104/files/2009/11/PolicyBrief-described.pdf .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Q. I'm writing a policy brief. Where can I find examples?

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Answered By: APUS Librarians Last Updated: Sep 15, 2022     Views: 30325

• Writing effective reports : Preparing policy briefs . This document has lots of examples of briefs and describes the format and contents.
• Policy Brief - The Writing Center at UNC. This link Includes specifics on formatting.
• Harvard Kennedy School. Policy Briefs .
• RAND Corporation. Research Briefs .
• OECD Policy Briefs
• Rasmussen Library FAQ: What is a briefing paper and how do I write one?
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How to Write a Policy Assignment

What is a policy assignment, policy critique.

• Policy Brief/Briefing Note

Reading and Analyzing Policy

Writing policy assignments, research and writing process.

Understanding, evaluating, and writing policy documents are important competencies to develop as undergraduate students in a wide range of fields, spanning from Health Care to Environmental Science to Education. Policy is informed by strong research and accurate evidence, often compiled and presented by government and non-governmental organizations. Public policies include formal legislation, official plans, and regulations created by various levels of government. Each of these can act as guiding principles for governmental decision making and program delivery. Non-governmental and para-governmental organizations publish policy briefs, commission reports, and fact sheets to inform policy makers and recommend policy change.

Course instructors often ask students to analyze policy documents to better understand issues and policy alternatives, and students in many disciplines must write policy documents, including critiques and briefs or briefing notes. This guide offers steps to reading policy and keys for effective policy writing.

Types of Policy Assignments

In a policy critique, students are expected to read and critically analyze one or more policy documents that address a common issue. The goal of this assignment is to present an overall assessment of current or proposed policies and their efficacy or potential considering both scholarly theory and real-world, practical application with consideration of environmental, social, or economic contexts.

Proposed structure

• Issue: what is the policy in question?
• Background: where did it emerge? What problem does it try to address?
• Application: so far, based on evidence, how effective has it been?
• Limits: what are limits with the policy? How has it been adapted? What questions remain?
• Evaluation/potential: based on concepts and theories from course materials, what is the potential for this policy to address particular issue/problem?

Policy Brief (Briefing Note)

Policy briefs or briefing notes are documents written by governmental and non-governmental organizations to propose evidence-based policy solutions to a well-defined social, environmental, or economic issue. Briefs present findings from academic and grey literature to demonstrate the scope of an issue and to analyze its context and background. The brief is organized with clear headings and short sections, which are supported by figures or tables.

• Executive Summary: similar to an abstract, briefly explains the goal, findings, and recommendations. Although it is placed first in the document, it is written last.
• Issue Definition: identify and explain the key issue and its scope and significance.
• Policy Background: synthesize evidence to explain the context of the issue – its origins, key stakeholders, overlapping issues, and potential barriers – and any existing policy.
• Best Practices: describe relevant policies from other jurisdictions and introduce specific examples of policy and best practices that reinforce the argument your briefing note presents.
• Policy Options: synthesize your research to present a few policy options; for each option, describe the approach and present advantages, challenges, and potential barriers. Present one policy recommendation from these options.
• References: divide references into sections (e.g., academic sources, grey literature, policy documents etc.)

Each policy document is focused on a specific issue and establishes particular goals; when you read any policy document, you are working to understand and analyze the issue and how the policy addresses the issue. These messages are often presented in different ways. Policy briefs are, well, brief, but other policy documents or commissioned reports can be quite lengthy, so it is important to develop a reading strategy for each new document. Generally, it is best to follow this process: preview, plan, read and take notes, and assess within course context.

Because policy documents vary significantly in form and purpose, it is essential to preview the document prior to reading it: identify its author, its purpose, and its form. Take time to read the executive summary, which presents a short explanation of the issue and purpose of the document. Understand its authorship and the interests of the individual or organizational author.

Make a plan

Identify your goal in reading the document: do you wish to better understand the issue, to identify policy alternatives, to appreciate broader context, or to determine efficacy of policy? How will this document inform your understanding of the issue you are studying? What sections will be most useful or relevant?

Read and take notes

Your preview and plan can direct your reading and notetaking. Read closely to understand the policy or issue, its context, and the evidence used to support it. Identify stakeholders and their interests, the goals of the policy and how those goals are measurable and actionable. You may find it helpful to refer to the table of contents or index (or to use the ‘find’ tool in your browser) to seek out sections that contain relevant keywords in documents spanning more than 100 pages.

Assess policy within course context

Refer to theories, frameworks, and indices that you have discussed in class to assess a policy. Consider whether it follows a particular conceptual framework or achieves particular numerical targets. Compare it to other policies in similar contexts and analyze its parts to assess its adaptability to different contexts. Evaluate its fit to the specific issue and its relevance for various stakeholder needs or values.

Reading an Official Plan

An official plan is often a lengthy document that covers many topics and issues within a set of overarching goals for an organization, like a university, hospital, or municipality. Your aim should be to understand the overarching goals of the plan and its broader context, which are likely laid out in the executive summary and introductory sections. Then you may need to seek out references to a particular topic, issue, or stakeholder; the index, table of contents, or “find” tool can be helpful for this.

Reading a Policy Brief

The goal of a policy brief is to inform and persuade policy makers, so your aim should be to understand the issue the brief identifies and to analyze the policy it proposes. The structure and design of the policy brief will guide your reading. Take time to understand the context of the issue and the policy: who are the stakeholders, what are the goals, what is the process, and what are the barriers? Analyze the policy within the disciplinary concepts you’re learning in class; how does the policy fit particular frameworks, theories, or indices you’ve discussed? What is unique about this policy? How can this policy be adapted to different contexts? What is its potential to address the issue?

Successful policy assignments are focused, well-researched, analytical, organized, and concise. Therefore, it is important to take time to define the issue, understand the context of the issue, and seek out policy alternatives prior to identifying a recommended course of action.

• Focused Issue
• Using Research
• Demonstrating Analysis
• Organized, Concise, and Clear Writing

Focused issue

It is essential that you present a focused and clear issue, and that issue must be at the scale of policy action. For example, policy briefs can address ER wait times or agricultural pesticide use, but issues such as access to health care or the sustainability of food production are too complex for you to address in a short policy assignment. Often, course material and core concepts provide useful direction for you to narrow your issue.

In policy assignments, an issue is clearly defined and contextualized with evidence from scholarly and grey literature. It is important for you to explain how scholars, governments, or NGOs have discussed the issue, and numerical data or figures can demonstrate the scale of an issue or its projected trajectory. Provide details about the issue in its context: be specific about place, time, and stakeholders, and acknowledge any overlapping economic, environmental, or social issues.

Example: Effective issue definition 1

Age-friendly municipalities foster solidarity among generations within communities and reach out to older people at risk of isolation by making them feel socially included and involved (WHO, 2007). It is well documented that these trends are happening across Canada, and evidence suggests that local governments have a key role in enabling older people to live longer. It is unclear to what degree Aurora’s municipal government is prepared to support its expanding ageing population. It is essential to continue to examine new approaches to housing and transportation infrastructure within Aurora in order to improve public policy matters in regards to their ageing population.

• Issue is grounded by focused concept and evidence; writer demonstrates value of municipal policy to address the issue
• Writer precisely identifies the issue to be discussed in brief and the goals of the report

Example: Ineffective issue definition 1

In addition to the infrastructure issue in Peterborough, there is also an issue regarding how spread out the community is. The city is too big for residents to be able to walk the entire city. Amenities are also very spread out; it is unlikely that pedestrians would be able to access the required amenities within walking distance from their house. Ultimately, the main issues surrounding the walkability in the City of Peterborough are the lack of infrastructure and maintenance, as well as the lack of available activities near to peoples’ residences.

• Not grounded in conceptual framework or theory; writer needs to explain why walkability is an issue that a municipality should address
• Lack of precision or evidence to support claims about the size of the city or accessibility to amenities

Using research

Policy is informed by evidence from scholarly literature, government data, and research by various stakeholder organizations. Effective policy assignments synthesize evidence from academic and grey literature to create an accurate account of the issue and policy options. Common forms of evidence in policy writing include numerical and financial data, figures such as graphs and maps, excerpts from existing policies, recommendations from NGOs, and conceptual frameworks.

In policy writing, your goal is to present research both accurately and accessibly, as decision-makers in government and business may not be familiar with terminology or concepts presented by scholars. Make efforts to paraphrase the evidence you use and be sure to include citations in the form requested by your professor (footnotes or author-date systems are common).

One of the key factors in Municipal Cultural Planning is increasing cross-sectoral strategies by building new partnerships “…between the municipality and its community and business partners” (Municipal Cultural Plan, toolkit, 2011, p.21) for long term sustainability. Therefore, municipal cultural planning “…does not look at policy sectorally” (Gollmitzer, 2008, p.18), but instead strengthens and integrates “…cultural resources across all facets of government planning and decision making” (Municipal Cultural Plan Toolkit, 2011, p.21). Building new networks are supported by leveraging the sense of place within a community. Adopting a place-based planning approach allows “…government, community organizations and citizens to explore, measure and asses the values, resources and assets of the community” (Huhtala, 2016, p.66), in order to leverage them for economic prosperity.

• Writer synthesizes academic and grey literature to demonstrate how concepts are applied in policy.
• Writer also demonstrates analysis of evidence and its relevance to the brief’s focused issue.
• Use of direct quotation can feature the language of a policy if the writer wishes to analyze discourse; however, this excerpt relies too heavily on direct quotation, and it would be stronger if this evidence was paraphrased.

Demonstrating analysis

The quality of your policy assignment is closely tied to your analysis of the issue and the policy options you present. It is important to evaluate policy options as you research and to critically analyze how those options address the issue within its particular context. Take time to examine specific factors and parties involved in an issue and consider how these factors may facilitate or challenge each policy option; furthermore, you should also assess the advantages and disadvantages of each policy option and its impacts on these factors or parties.

You may find it valuable to consider theories, concepts, or frameworks from your course to develop your argument and to establish coherence throughout your assignment. If you assess all policy options through the same critical lens or theory, then your message will be clear and consistent throughout your document.

Integrating senior housing into the fabric of the inner core communities could make housing developments viable and situate seniors in settings where they can access these services by foot or nearby transit (Fang, 2013).  This concept can allow seniors, who may be considering downsizing, to remain within their community where they can keep active, live within easy access to medical and community services, and stay close to their support network that they have spent their lives establishing. However, the growing demand for these developments could put major pressure on the municipality.  City officials would have to amend current zoning by-laws to allow commercial and residential uses to be a part of mixed-use development and appropriate provisions need to be provided to ensure compatibility and to minimize potential negative impacts. 

• Writer presents both advantages and challenges of policy option within common concept of healthy aging communities.
• Writer also includes potential impacts and barriers of policy option, which demonstrates their consideration of the issue and its context.

Organized, concise, and clear writing

Policy writing should be well-organized and easy to follow. Use headings and subheadings to create structure and to support your reader. It is common to number sections and subsections to further clarify the order of your ideas. In addition, good paragraph structure also supports organization and clarity, so we encourage you to use specific topic sentences to introduce the main idea of a paragraph.

Well-written policy assignments employ a formal writing style and use third-person voice (e.g., they) rather than first-person (e.g., I, we) or second-person (e.g., you) voice. Further, they avoid jargon, but use specific and clear language. When you revise your draft, take time to consider each sentence and remove repetitive or redundant phrases and words.

Finally, it is important to pay attention to the details. Label any figures or tables in your document; make reference to these figures or tables in the text of your work (e.g., see Figure 1). Also be sure to follow assignment instructions for referencing evidence in your text (e.g., footnotes or author-date system) and in your list of sources, which is often categorized by type of source (e.g., academic, government, NGOs).

There are many ways to approach a policy assignment, but it is important to take time to research and analyze issues and policy options thoroughly prior to writing. Consider the following steps to complete your policy assignment:

• Read assignment instructions closely
• Preliminary research: review course materials, brainstorm, conduct environmental scan or site visit, consider current issues relevant to course concepts
• Define issue: consider questions and frameworks
• Research issue and context
• Research and evaluate policy alternatives in other places
• Analyze policy alternatives and consider fit for current issue and context; select policy options to present
• Outline sections: what evidence goes where? How does evidence work together?
• Write sections (leave Executive Summary until last)
• Revise for organization, analysis, and use of evidence. See Strategies for Revision and Proofreading.
• Edit for clarity, concision, and grammar
• Complete final proof of document
• These examples are not to be reproduced in whole or part. Use of the ideas or words in this example is an act of plagiarism, which is subject to academic integrity policy at Trent University and other academic institutions.

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Policy Brief

What is a policy brief?

A policy brief is a succinctly written document about a particular issue. It consolidates research on the context, causes, stakeholders, and impact of a situation or problem. A policy brief is designed to help decision/policy makers by presenting policy options and recommendations. Not all policy briefs have the same objectives; some advocate for one policy option, while some recommend a number of options to choose from. Check your assignment to make sure you are approaching yours correctly.

Length and tone:

A policy brief is typically 4-6 pages. The tone is professional (rather than academic) with clear explanations that are free of jargon.

Target audience:

Readers are typically policy makers from fields such as education, environment, politics, public health, or social work. Those who read policy briefs are invested in the issue but may not have in-depth knowledge of the topic. They are interested in getting the writer's insights and recommendations that are based on current evidence.

According to your start and end dates ( 2024-05-16 to 2024-05-22 ), you have 6 days to finish your assignment.

Step 1: Get started Complete by Thu May 16, 2024

A. understand your assignment.

Determine exactly what the assignment is asking you to do. Read the assignment carefully to determine the purpose, audience, scope, format, and length. For help, see Understanding your assignment .

Policy briefs can take various forms. For ideas and inspiration see these examples of policy briefs produced by different organizations.

B.  Download the policy brief template

• Policy brief outline (PDF)
• Policy brief outline (DOC)
• You can now modify the sections to match the ones given in your assignment.

C. Familiarize yourself with the issue

• In some instances you will have been assigned a specific topic and problem, in other instances you may have to choose the topic and problem.
• In either case do some general reading about the topic and problem.

Using traditional journalistic questions (who, what, where, when, why) can help you focus on aspects that will be the focus of your policy brief.  

Step 2: Research your policy issue Complete by Sat May 18, 2024

A. design your research strategy.

List terms/concepts associated with your policy issue. Isolate the main concepts. These are the terms you will enter into the library catalogue and databases to identify relevant books, journal and newspaper articles, and various types of reports. For more information on creating a strategy, see Effective research strategies (PDF) and contact the  librarian for your subject .

B. Find and evaluate sources

The sources you choose must be relevant and current. You need to make sure you are using academically sound sources such as peer-reviewed books and journal articles, but also sources such as government information, policy institute (think tank) documents, and material that relays the voice of the groups or people impacted by the issue, such as those who are marginalized or mistreated in some way.

Not all sources are equally relevant or truthfully representative. See  Evaluating information sources  for help discerning what will add real value to your assignment.

C. Select and organize what you've found

Gather your information and keep careful track of your sources as you go along. For help with this, see  Conducting research and note taking (PDF) .

Step3: Begin to organize your brief Complete by Sun May 19, 2024

Use your policy brief outline (retrieved in Step 1B) to fill in the sections of your policy brief with rough ideas you generate. Point form is fine. The following questions can help guide this work. Even though the executive summary comes at the beginning, notice that it makes more sense to do it at the end.

A: Who do you have to convince?

(Knowing this will influence how your write about the issue and layout the evidence.)

• Who are the informed but non-specialist readers of your brief?
• How are the readers likely to talk about/view this issue?
• What overall message do you want to convey that will resonate with them?
• Write this down in two sentences to help you stay on track.

B: Problem statement

• What is the extent/scope of the problem?
• What evidence can you present that demonstrates its impact, urgency, or magnitude?
• What facts, graphs, photos, quotations, statistics, or maps could you include here to support your points?

C: Stakeholders

• Who are all the stakeholders and how does the issue affect them?
• Keep in mind that individuals, marginalized or small communities, and underrepresented voiced may have different perspectives from government staffers and corporate leaders. You will want to include these perspectives if they are relevant to the issue and your recommendations.

D: Policy options

• Are you going to present multiple options and recommend one or present just one option? 
• What arguments and evidence can you provide to make your case?
• Who will be impacted by the option(s) and how?

E: Recommendations

• Which specific actions or measures are required and who needs to undertake them in order to bring about change?
• Are you going to close the paper with a closing call to action? This might be placed in the conclusion element if you have one.

F: Sources consulted

• Have you included a list of credible references that support the points you make?
• Have these point covered a range of perspectives?

G: Executive summary

• Have you included the key aspects of the rationale and problem?
• Does your summary entice the readers to read further?

Step 4: Write the first draft Complete by Tue May 21, 2024

Time to get writing! A first draft is an attempt to get ideas down on paper. It's okay if your ideas aren't completely formed yet. Let go of the need for perfection and write quickly. You can revise later.

For additional help, see  Writing a first draft (PDF) .

Step 5: Revise and proofread Complete by Wed May 22, 2024

A: evaluate your first draft and conduct additional research as needed.

Determine if there are any gaps in your draft. Do you have enough evidence to support your arguments? If you don't, you should conduct further research.

B: Revise your draft

Print out your brief and work from a hard copy. Read it carefully and look for higher-order problems first, such as organization, structure, evidence, and analysis. For help, check out these  tips for revision .

C: Evaluate your second draft and rewrite as needed

Narrow your focus to paragraph-level issues such as sentence flow and transitions. For help with this, see Transition words .

D: Proofread the final version of your brief

Last step! Read carefully to catch small errors. Here are some Proofreading strategies . Also, take time to make sure your brief adheres to the conventions of the style guide you are using or your instructor's requirements. Think about titles, margins, and page numbers. Is a cover sheet required?

Your list of sources should contain key items you used to write your brief. Follow the citation style guide recommended in your assignment or by your instructor. For help, take a look at the citation and style guides on the Library's website. Using reference management software  can also help you manage your citations as you write. Use tools such as RefWorks and Write-N-Cite for building your bibliography.

Policy briefs

How to produce and disseminate a policy brief..

• What is a policy brief

Policy briefs can be a useful way to summarise your research and provide evidence and recommendations for policy audiences. They should provide policy recommendations or implications which can be used by policymakers as briefing documents to help inform their work.

A policy brief should be written with your identified policy audience in mind, acknowledging the policy context in which your research sits and with clear links between your findings and recommendations and current policy challenges. They should be evidence-based, but also written in plain English and as concisely as possible.

With your audience in mind, preparing a policy brief typically involves six important components:

• Key messages : What are the most important aspects of your research for policymakers?
• Audience : Who is it intended for? Have you identified them and how will you reach them?
• Purpose : Does your research advocate for new policies or amendments to old ones? Does it highlight an issue which requires policy attention? Does it have clear policy recommendations or implications?
• Collaboration : Would your policy brief benefit from being co-created with policymakers or practitioners in order that policy recommendations are more likely to resonate with intended audiences? (This won’t apply to everyone, but sometimes the co-creation or sharing of early or near-final drafts of policy briefs with intended audiences can enable final tweaks to the policy recommendations you make).
• Timing : Is there an upcoming ‘moment’ when this topic will become salient and newsworthy?
• Publicity : Beyond publishing a policy brief online, how will you publicise it? Ways of doing this could include events, blogs, or media engagement.

It is important to note that policy briefs are just one mechanism for policy engagement. Produced in isolation or sporadically and without relevant policy networks in place, they tend to be less effective at generating engagement with policy audiences. To increase your chances of being more effective, policy briefs should be developed alongside other policy engagement activities.

• Sections within a policy brief

Typically, a policy brief will be between three to five pages. Elements of a policy brief usually include:

• Title : A relevant title which is informative and interesting.
• Executive summary : Short paragraphs which sum up the policy brief, its key messages and policy recommendations or implications.
• Introduction / Overview : A clear opening which sets the scene for the research and puts it in the context of current policy debates or challenges.
• Findings : You need evidence to support a policy brief, but this needs to be presented in an accessible way for non-specialists. Focus more on your results than your methodology (although this can be referenced).
• Conclusions : A summary of what your findings mean in the context of current policy challenges and what they point towards.
• Recommendations : Actionable, realistic policy recommendations or implications.
• Extra details : Where appropriate, detail funding which has been used for the research and/or any other acknowledgements, citations or disclaimers.
• Contact details .
• Audiences for policy briefs

The most effective way to ensure your brief gets to the right people is to have an active network of relevant policymakers already engaged with you and your research. A secondary method is to create a targeted list of relevant policy contacts within Government and Parliament, as well as other policy actors working on related topics, who may find your policy brief relevant.

Social media can be a useful means to disseminate your findings, including with high profile organisations or influencers. Platforms like LinkedIn will enable you to search for people working on related topics, providing contact details for individuals and organisations who might be interested in your findings.

Hosting events, writing about your findings for The Conversation or for blogs such as the IPR’s , or aiming to generate media coverage about your findings are other ways of broadening the reach of your policy brief.

• Recommendations
• Policymakers are busy, so policy briefs should be concise and targeted to key audiences.
• Consider partnering with an external organisation, or think tank, in co-authoring a policy brief.
• If you intend to produce a policy brief, ensure you have appropriately costed this – see Costing policy engagement.
• If your policy brief is an IPR research project, or collaborative project, contact Amy Thompson ( [email protected] ) in the IPR to discuss the production of an IPR Policy Brief.
• For other enquiries please contact the University’s creative team [email protected] to discuss the production and professional design for your policy brief.

Further information

• Stakeholder mapping
• Communicating research for policy audiences
• Policy events and roundtables
• Parliament’s libraries and POST

Learning from others

Read about Bath academics who have developed policy briefs as part of their research:

• Dr Jo Daniels and policy engagement
• Dr Geoff Bates and policy engagement
• Dr Kate Woodthorpe and policy engagement
• Lois Player and policy engagement

Find out more

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Writing a Policy Brief

A policy brief is a short action-oriented document, written for a target audience to present a new policy, research findings, or recommendations for a policy change.

A policy brief often includes some of the following sections

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Your Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Winning Policy Brief

by Lydia Stowe, FiscalNote

Policy briefs help your stakeholders understand complex information related to policy in a simple way. Read our step-by-step guide on writing policy briefs.

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While creating policy briefs is a big part of the public and government affairs role, it’s not often talked about. According to our 2021 State of Public Affairs Industry Report , 40 percent of government relations professionals say briefing is a monthly task, with 35 percent on a weekly schedule and 11 percent daily. This means a major component of your workweek is spent crafting and developing messaging and metrics for other people.  

Government affairs professionals need to write effective policy briefs to keep legislatures and their teams informed on issues that matter to their organization. We’re here to demystify the art of writing a policy brief and make the process simpler and less time-consuming. 

What is a Policy Brief, Really?

A policy brief is a concise summary of an issue that includes the policy options to solve a problem and recommendations on the best option. Policy briefs are typically written for organization leaders, policymakers, and others who are responsible for creating and influencing policy. Policy briefs are about a timely, relevant issue or an evergreen issue to your organization.

Policy briefs are just that — brief — with a typical one containing around 700 words on a single page. The briefs are usually designed in an aesthetically pleasing way, sometimes with an image or graphic.

How to Structure a Policy Brief

A policy brief template can help structure your brief and make sure you fit all the relevant information onto one page. Here are the key elements to include in any policy brief.

• Executive summary
• Description of the problem
• Overview of research
• Current and proposed policies
• Policy recommendations
• Appendices and sources

Your policy brief title should be short and to the point, while also being catchy and attention-grabbing enough to ensure it is read. Keep the title relevant without adding too much information that makes it clunky. Your stakeholder may decide whether to read the brief based solely on the title, so make sure yours is accurate, descriptive, and engaging.

In addition to the title of your brief, you should also add subheaders to make the brief skimmable and break up the text. You don’t want your policy brief to be one long chunk of text, or it will be harder to read and grasp the main points you’re making. Just like your main title, your subheads should be short, catchy, and descriptive.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An executive summary is a brief synopsis of the main points of the policy brief, including the conclusions and recommendations. This summary should draw potential readers in and make them intrigued enough to want to read the whole report.

Bear in mind that the executive summary should contain sufficient information to stand on its own if your policymaker or executive doesn’t have time to read the whole brief. That’s why the summary should be comprehensive enough to provide readers with an overview of the issue, options, and recommendations — all in a few sentences (typically 100-200 words).

The Ultimate Policy Brief Template

Ace your next policy brief with this fully customizable template, designed with expert input and industry insights.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM

A policy brief should include a clear description of the issue or problem you want policymakers to address. Describe the causes of the problem, its effects, and why it matters. In addition to understanding what the problem is, a good policy brief sheds light on why it is important and needs to be addressed urgently.

Based on your audience, you may not want to describe the problem in the most basic way if what you are saying is commonly known to your audience. “Assess how much the audience already knows at the start,” recommends Bruce Mehlman of Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas. “Don’t waste everyone’s time with known basics.”

OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH

This is the section of your policy brief where you get to explain the reasons behind your policy recommendations and show the research and data behind them. Explain what research has been conducted, how data was collected and by whom, and other background information that establishes the credibility of your research. This should be kept to one to two sentences.

Assess how much the audience already knows at the start. Don't waste everyone's time with known basics. Bruce Mehlman

CURRENT AND PROPOSED POLICIES

Describe the current policies in place to address this issue, and why they are insufficient and new policies are necessary. When creating a state policy brief, Joshua Habursky, head of government relations at the Premium Cigar Association, recommends drawing comparisons and contrasts with other states. “If your brief is to California policymakers, describe what they did in Nevada,” he says. “If California and New York are originating it, it’s going to come to the other 48 states in some way, shape, or form.”

Then, describe the proposed policies succinctly. After this section of the policy brief, there should be no doubt about current legislation around this topic or what is being proposed.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Finally, it’s time to make your policy recommendations. Use the research and data presented early in the policy brief to draw a connection to your policy recommendations and why they make sense. While your policy recommendations will undoubtedly use persuasive language, keep them rooted in facts.

The biggest mistake people make when writing a policy brief is making it too biased, Habursky says. “A policy brief should be very explanatory, not a persuasive piece,” he emphasized.

Keep your recommendations short and to the point. Creating “narrow and achievable asks with a short, concise agenda” can make all the difference, according to John Loyer, CEO of Loyer Consulting. Less is more when it comes to captivating your audience and making sure that they are following along.

APPENDICES & SOURCES

Since you want the main text to be succinct and easy to read quickly, adding appendices to your policy brief can be a great place to present more detailed data, research, and other information. Add relevant information that supports the policy brief in your appendices.

Last but not least, provide references to no more than five sources where your readers can get more information on the topic, including the web addresses to the publications.

7 Tips for Writing an Effective Policy Brief

Want to learn how to write a policy brief like a pro ? Follow these seven tips to ensure your policy briefs are polished and professional.

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE

“Personalize your presentation for specific audiences,” Mehlman says. “Rural Republicans and urban Democrats bring different priorities, as do CEOs and heads of government relations.”

Before creating your policy brief, understand your audience. The more you know about the people who will be reading your brief, the more you can customize it for them.

“The first question to ask is, who is the audience?” Habursky says. He writes policy briefs for board members, external stakeholders, and Hill staff, and tailoring his message to fit the audience is critical. “You get the most bang for your buck if you draft the policy brief and have the mindset that it’s going to go to multiple audience types from the very beginning,” he says.

At the start, you may not know much about your audience, so take the time to get a feel for their attention span and preferences. “There is a degree of trial and error in the beginning,” Habursky says. “Then you’ll be able to tailor it based on their needs.”

2. DESCRIBE THE URGENCY OF THE ISSUE

When you describe the problem, include a few sentences discussing the urgency. Why is this something your reader should pay attention to, and why now? What are the potential ramifications of inaction on this issue? Policymakers have many issues to consider and address, so make it clear why now is the time to act on this particular issue, and why it can’t wait. Back up your claims with solid facts, not emotion-driven rhetoric.

3. PROVIDE SUFFICIENT BACKGROUND ON THE ISSUE

Don’t assume your audience will already have all the background information on this issue. Summarize any relevant background that will put the issue into context and ensure your reader quickly has a grasp of the history and full scope of the issue. You can also use your appendices and sources section to provide more background information so you don’t disrupt the flow of the main text.

4. INCLUDE STATISTICS TO SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENT

Backing up your argument with statistics is a non-negotiable for a policy briefing. Choose stats that pack a punch, and consider presenting them in a visual way that stands out. Don’t bog down your brief with too many numbers, though. Select the statistics that most support your recommendations and have the greatest impact.

5. KEEP IT FOCUSED ON THE MAIN ISSUE

When you spend every day neck-deep in an issue, it can be hard to condense it into just one page. But the more succinct and focused your briefing, the better chance it has of being read. Hone in on your main issue and the key message you need to convey.

“When we first started, we felt like every policy paper we wrote had to cover everything we knew about the topic. They were really long and really dense,” says Karen Pearl, president and CEO of God’s Love We Deliver, a New York organization that provides meals to people who are too sick to shop or cook. “We have over time learned to quickly get to the point and to make the papers more digestible. Now they’re much shorter.” The organization comes up with three to four key message points for each brief. They also include a strong visual and a longer, more detailed report that includes citations and more extensive research on the topic.

We have over time learned to quickly get to the point and to make the papers more digestible. Karen Pearl , CEO God's Love We Deliver

6. AVOID JARGON THAT CAN CONFUSE THE AUDIENCE

Molly Polen, senior director of communications and public relations at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, always strives for her organization’s briefs to tell readers how scientific information relates to healthcare. She crafts the message to be in easy-to-understand language, not jargon. “What we do is so simple,” she says. “It’s connecting all the pieces to say what the end result will be, how it will be meaningful.”

Keep your message simple and easy to understand, and consider how the terms you use will be received by someone outside your industry (think lawmakers, activists, journalists). Throwing around jargon and complicated acronyms can confuse your reader, muddle the message, and make it difficult to make a connection with your audience. If possible, ask someone outside your industry to give your brief a once-over and flag unfamiliar terms that may need explanation or simplification.

7. INCLUDE VISUALS SUCH AS CHARTS AND GRAPHS

Eye-catching, engaging visuals can illustrate your point and back up your data in an appealing way. Just make sure your visuals are well thought out and align with your message. “Ensure your visuals match your narrative and narrative matches your visuals,” Mehlman says. “Cognitive dissonance undermines persuasion.”

If you’re short on space and trying to keep the brief to one page, Habursky recommends just describing a chart or in a sentence or two of text, then linking to a webpage where the visual aids can be viewed.

Write and Present Better Policy Briefs with FiscalNote

With all the policy briefs and issues to manage in a given week, it’s important to stay organized and have the most up-to-date information at your fingertips. FiscalNote has all the tools you need to stay up to date on policy and better research issues that matter to your organization.

With FiscalNote, users can create policy reports with visualizations, regulatory data, and global legislation and visualization. Users can pick and choose different modules to include in the report, such as basic information, policy maps, data visualizations (charts and graphs showing bill and regulation data), legislative and regulatory tables, and more.

FiscalNote provides access to the most innovative tools in digital advocacy management as you create policy briefs that make a difference. Our comprehensive approach to managing advocacy and policy issues can help you promote action, manage risk, assess your impact, and drive results.

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How to Write a Policy Brief

Last Updated: February 2, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow's content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 166,101 times.

A policy brief is a short document that either advocates for a particular position or objectively describes a policy issue and the options available. You may have to write a policy brief for a class assignment, or while working for a corporation or nonprofit organization. A policy brief is typically fewer than 1,000 words and uses facts and figures to present the issue to readers who want a basic understanding. [1] X Trustworthy Source Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations Specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for leading international efforts to end world hunger and improve nutrition Go to source

Framing Your Issue

• For example, if you're writing for a nonprofit organization, your audience may be supporters of your organization. On the other hand, your audience may be government officials who are potentially antagonistic to your message.
• If you're writing your policy brief for a class assignment, ask your instructor to identify the audience for the policy brief, if this information isn't included in the information about the assignment.

• Because of their nature, policy briefs typically don't include a lot of background information. Your thesis statement should be related to a present issue or situation.
• For advocacy briefs, your thesis statement will present a way to resolve the issue the brief discusses. The thesis statement for an objective brief will present the issue itself and describe the motivation for differing approaches to addressing the issue.

• Use reliable sources, preferably objective academic studies or government data and statistics. These will make your policy brief more reliable.
• Make sure the data and information you find is directly related to your thesis. With only a few hundred words, you don't have a lot of space to go into detail about studies in the field.

• Don't worry about length at this stage either. Write what you think you need to include. It's easier to remove pieces than it is to add.

• Take a look at your reverse outline and move paragraphs around as necessary. Your narrative should flow logically from one paragraph to the next.
• Use transitions where necessary to make your brief a cohesive unit, rather than simply a collection of paragraphs or sections.

Tip: If you're having a hard time focusing your draft, talk to some whose opinion you respect. It doesn't matter if they know anything about your topic or not – you're just looking for a way to focus your writing on the point you want to make.

Building Your Structure

• For example, suppose you're writing a brief on voluntary euthanasia, and taking the position that it should be legal. For your summary statement, you might write: "People who are terminally ill want to die in a way that preserves their dignity and respects their autonomy. Voluntary euthanasia provides the opportunity for them to control their death."

• For example, suppose you're writing a brief on voluntary euthanasia that will be distributed to lawmakers who are against legalizing the practice. For your introduction, you might write: "All humans deserve to die with dignity. For people with terminal illnesses, this is only possible if assisted euthanasia becomes legal. Support for this is support for someone's autonomy in their final moments."

• For example, if you're writing a policy brief on voluntary euthanasia, you may have section headings such as "Respecting Autonomy," "Preserving Dignity," and "Controlling Costs."
• For a policy brief, section headings allow for multiple points of entry. Rather than reading from beginning to end, your reader can focus on things they're interested in first.

• For example, if you're writing a policy brief on voluntary euthanasia that will be distributed to government officials, you might encourage them to write or promote legislation to legalize voluntary euthanasia. On the other hand, if your readers were voters, you would want them to vote for representatives who supported legalizing voluntary euthanasia.

Tip: Word processing apps have templates you can use to streamline your policy brief. These templates will ensure your design is visually pleasing, clean, and uncluttered.

Writing Effectively

• Use phrases such as "a study found" or "statistics reveal" to introduce conclusions. Include your sources at the end of your brief. Your readers can look up the actual studies if they want to understand more about the methodology.

• Avoid technical terminology wherever possible. If it is unavoidable, provide a brief description or definition after the word or phrase.

• Any figures should relate explicitly to your thesis statement. Imagine that someone who'd read nothing but the title and subject headings could understand your brief from the figures alone.

• For example, if you're writing a policy brief about assisted euthanasia, you might mention that terminally ill patients leave behind massive medical bills that could be controlled if assisted euthanasia were an option.

• A policy brief is short by its nature, which means any errors will stand out. Spelling and grammatical errors will make your brief far less reliable.

Tip: There are apps you can download for free that will help you with proofreading. Grammarly will help you with proofreading active voice. The Hemingway app will also help you with active voice and allows you to customize your feedback based on a specific reading level.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2195e/i2195e03.pdf
• ↑ http://www.icpolicyadvocacy.org/sites/icpa/files/downloads/icpa_policy_briefs_essential_guide.pdf
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reorganizing-drafts/
• ↑ https://www.idrc.ca/en/funding/resources-idrc-grantees/how-write-policy-brief
• ↑ https://www.idrc.ca/sites/default/files/idrcpolicybrieftoolkit.pdf
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/policy-briefs/

About this article

To write a policy brief, start by writing a strong summary statement and explain in a concise introduction why the issue is important to your readers. Next, create section headings for your main sections using brief, active phrases. Then, fill the sections with content using clear language, solid research, and your proposed solutions. Finally, close the brief with a summary and a call to action to support the solutions you've proposed. For tips on adding images and other dynamic content, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Policy briefs can be a useful way to inform and influence policy thinking and decisions by providing evidence and recommendations for policymakers. Read our tips on writing an effective brief.

What to consider when developing a policy brief

Policy briefs provide a succinct summary of your key research findings and policy recommendations. To decide which information to include, be clear about your aims and your audience. Think about:

• What are you trying to achieve? For example, are you aiming to raise awareness of an issue or bring about a change in policy?
• Who do you want to influence – for example, MPs, ministers, think tanks, NGOs, professional bodies?
• What are your key messages? Which research findings do you wish to highlight and what recommendations do you want to make?

How to make the best impact

Policymakers are often short of time and need a concise, accessible brief that provides key facts and arguments.

• Focus on the findings and recommendations, not the methods.
• Keep sentences and paragraphs short and simple.
• Avoid technical terms or jargon - imagine you’re explaining the issue to a friend who isn’t a specialist in this field.
• Use active rather than passive language – for example, be clear who needs to take action.
• Use diagrams, charts or data visualisations to engage the reader and explain your findings clearly at a glance.
• Use sub-headings to signpost different sections and make the briefing easy to navigate.
• Provide links to more detailed information to back up your arguments.

Suggested structure

Aim for two or four A4 pages (total word count of roughly 1,000-2,000 words).

• Use a memorable heading that quickly communicates the content. Chose something short and descriptive.

Summary (100 to 200 words)

• Summarise the purpose of the briefing, the issue you are addressing, important findings and the key policy implications and recommendations.
• Bullet points can make it easier for readers to understand at a glance what the briefing is about.
• The summary should contain enough information to stand on its own if the reader doesn’t have time to read the whole brief.

Introduction (50 to 100 words)

• Briefly identify the issue or problem your recommendations aim to solve.
• Highlight the urgency – explain why this issue is so important now, who is affected, why the current policy isn’t working, when any key decisions are needed.
• Provide some context and background to ensure your reader can quickly grasp the history and scope of the issue.

Key findings/argument (max. 1500 words) 

• Summarise your research and describe the key findings.
• Present clear evidence, highlight consensus and debate, and be clear about any uncertainties or limitations of your research.
• Include memorable facts and figures that policymakers can quote in debates.

Policy implications and/or recommendations (250 to 500 words) 

• Provide clear policy recommendations, supported by your research findings.
• Keep your recommendations rooted in facts, rather than opinion.
• Try to ensure your recommendations are specific and achievable.
• Be as precise as possible - for example, state which organisations and/or individuals need to take action or who will benefit from these actions. 
• Explain any important deadlines.
• Describe any cost implications.

References or endnotes 

• Include sources to show where your information is coming from, and to offer readers the opportunity to explore the evidence.
• Use open access sources where possible.

Further information and contact details

• Include relevant details of funders, dates of research etc
• Add details of the key researchers and how to get in touch.

Sharing your briefing

A policy brief is just the beginning of the policy engagement process. Think of your briefing as a calling card – a way to connect and begin a conversation. Please contact [email protected] to discuss the best ways to share your findings and maximise the reach of your work.

Find out more

• University of Sussex policy briefings archive  
• Contact  [email protected] for a copy of our policy brief template
• Parliament for Researchers: how to write for a parliamentary audience video  – a recording of an online training session about how to write and target a policy briefing for Parliament (approximately 30 minutes long)
• Writing for a parliamentary audience – a guide from the devolved legislatures on how to communicate with parliaments.

Copyright © 2024, University of Sussex

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Selecting a Topic for a Policy Brief

Ace the assignment, what is a policy brief, think tanks for policy ideas, think tanks for criminology.

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Success tip:  don’t just read the assignment, analyze it!

Professors expect students to follow directions carefully, but what do they actually mean by those directions? Figure out what an assignment is really asking, and you have the key to a successful paper.

• What Does the Professor Want? This free online book offers useful insights into university-level writing. more... less... Book Name: Writing in College Author: Amy Guptill Publisher: Open SUNY Textbooks Publication Date: 2016 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-942341-21-5
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Here are some examples and models of policy briefs.  Note: these examples might not follow the format expected by your professor or employer, so read your assignment carefully!

• International Centre for Policy Advocacy - Policy Brief resources
• Johns Hopkins Women and Children's Health Policy Center - Writing Policy Briefs module
• PolicyOptions.org - guide for an Issue Brief
• CIAO database search for Policy Briefs The CIAO database provides many types of articles, including nearly 7,000 policy briefs. Limit your search to policy briefs in the left-hand column of the main page.
• RAND corporation Provides a mixture of policy research, analysis and recommendations.

A Policy Brief should address a current social problem, or in Criminology, a problem related to crime or criminal justice. It is important to narrow down the problem to something that can be defined and measured.  Example: starting with the general problem of recidivism, after some exploring you might decide to focus on diversionary programs to reduce recidivism, but that is still too broad, so you might eventually develop a policy brief about a particular program: community reparations; and a particular population: juveniles. 

How to choose a topic:

• Consider the lectures and readings in your other courses.  Did something come up that you would like to know more about?
• Talk to experienced students about your interests and studies.
• Read newspapers and magazines such as:  New York Times (or the NYT Learning Network ), Wall Street Journal , New Yorker , Harpers , Atlantic , Popular Science , or similar.
• Explore the National Criminal Justice Reference Service ( NCJRS )
• Explore Political Science databases, especially CIAO
• Explore criminology databases and books such as the Springer Briefs series.
• Check the Encyclopedia of Social Work  

Try to find a topic that is not very common or very typical.  Usually the top topics in a database like CQ Researcher or Opposing Viewpoints are already over-worked.  Dig a little deeper to fnd something fresh.

Once you have some general ideas, it is time to focus .  In order to write a coherent brief, you must focus or sharpen your topic by exploring different aspects and problems, or by addressing a question. 

How to focus:

• Ask questions .  For example, if your topic is immigrants as crime victims, ask, what about it?  Ask yourself questions about definitions and characteristics, causes, and influences.
• Read to learn .  Later you will be reading for research, but start with reading to get an overview or outline of your topic.  Good places for this kind of reading might include the websites of advocacy organizations, articles or book chapters that give overviews of the topic, and for more advanced students, see the Annual Reviews series for your subject area, such as Sociology or Law & Social Science . Think Tanks and policy institutes are great resources to discover interesting social problems (see the Think Tanks section of this guide).

Even when you have focused your topic, you are still not quite done with this phase.  Now it's time to make sure you have something that is not too general and also not too narrow. 

How to check the focus :

• A policy brief is not an opinion paper. If you are simply arguing that something is good or bad, should or shouldn't be done or exist, you're not focused yet.
• A policy brief is not a report.  If you are only reporting or repeating information, then you do not have a good focus.
• If there is too much information, then limit to one particular part of the problem, a place, time or other aspect. For example, if bullying in schools has too much information, consider one time period, a particular kind of school, only indigenous people, or similar.
• Sometimes people get stuck with questions about which there is not enough information (such as "music therapy for nonviolent adolescent sexual offenders with autism") It is possible that research has not been done or data not collected, and you will find no information.  If this happens, then broaden to question to a wider area or more general problem.
• EMU guide to Michigan think tanks
• EMU guide to policy and advocacy groups
• MSU Library guide for Think Tanks
• Google: Think Tanks and Public Policy Groups This search engine searches Think Tanks and Public Policy websites.
• List from Wikipedia
• List from WSU
• List from Georgetown Univ
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Social Sciences Librarian

• Last Updated: May 7, 2024 2:55 PM
• URL: https://guides.emich.edu/crim200

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

• Annotated Bibliography
• Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
• Group Presentations
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Types of Structured Group Activities
• Group Project Survival Skills
• Leading a Class Discussion
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Works
• Writing a Case Analysis Paper
• Writing a Case Study
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Reflective Paper
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Generative AI and Writing
• Acknowledgments

A policy memo is a practical, professionally written document that can vary in length from one page to over twenty-five pages. It provides analysis and recommendations directed to a predetermined audience regarding a specific situation, topic, or issue. A well-written policy memo reflects attention to the policy problem. It is well organized and structured in a clear and concise style that assumes the reader possesses limited knowledge of, as well as little time to conduct research about, the topic of concern. There is no thesis statement or overall theoretical framework underpinning the document; the focus is on describing one or more specific policy recommendations and their supporting action items.

Bhasin, Tavishi and Charity Butcher. “Teaching Effective Policy Memo Writing and Infographics in a Policy Programme.” European Political Science 21 (2022): 1-17; Davis, Jennifer. Guide to Writing Effective Policy Memos. MIT OpenCourseWare, Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Planning in Developing Countries, Spring 2004; Judge, Andrew. "Designing and Implementing Policy Writing Assessments: A Practical Guide." Teaching Public Administration 39 (2021): 351-368; Pennock, Andrew. “The Case for Using Policy Writing in Undergraduate Political Science Courses.” PS: Political Science and Politics 44 (January 2011): 141-146.

How to Approach Writing a Policy Memo

Benefits of Writing a Policy Memo

Writing a policy memo is intended to support the following learning outcomes:

• Helps students learn how to write academically rigorous, persuasive papers about a specific “real-world” issue;
• Teaches how to choose and craft a document’s content based on the needs of a particular audience [rather than for a general readership];
• Prepares students to write an effective position paper in non-academic settings;
• Promotes researching, organizing, and writing a persuasive paper that emphasizes presenting evidence-based recommendations rather than simply reporting a study's findings;
• Teaches students to be client-oriented and to better anticipate the assumptions and concerns of their targeted readership;
• Encourages reflective thinking about the cause and consequential effect of a particular recommendation and to anticipate what questions stakeholder groups may have; and,
• Enables students to create original work that synthesizes policy-making research into a clearly written document advocating change and specific courses of action.

Do not approach writing a policy memo in the same way as you would an academic research paper . Yes, there are certain commonalities in how the content is presented [e.g., a well-written problem statement], but the overarching objective of a policy memo is not to discover or create new knowledge. It is focused on providing to a predetermined group of readers the rationale for choosing a particular policy alternative and/or specific courses of action leading to positive social and political change within society. In this sense, most policy memos possess a component of advocacy and advice intended to promote evidence-based dialog about an issue.

Essential Elements of an Effective Policy Memo Focus and Objectives The overall content of your memo should be strategically aimed at achieving the following goal: convincing your target audience about the accuracy of your analysis and, by extension, that your policy recommendations are valid. Avoid lengthy digressions and superfluous narration that can distract the reader from understanding the policy problem. Note that your target audience is defined in two ways: by the decision-makers who can advocate for or implement change and by individuals and groups most likely impacted by your policy recommendations should they be implemented. Professionally Written Always keep in mind that a policy memorandum is a tool for decision-making. Keep it professional and avoid hyperbole and clever or indeterminate language that could undermine the credibility of your document. The presentation and content of the memo should be polished, easy to understand, and free of jargon. Writing professionally does not imply that you can’t be passionate about your topic, but your policy recommendations should be evidence-based and grounded in solid reasoning and a succinct writing style. Evidence-based A policy memo is not an argumentative debate paper. The reader should expect your recommendations to be based upon evidence that the problem exists and understand the consequences [both good and bad] of adopting particular policy alternatives. To address this, policy memos should include a clear cost-benefit analysis that considers anticipated outcomes, the potential impact on stakeholder groups you have identified, clear and quantifiable performance goals, and how success will be measured. Accessibility A policy memo requires clear and simple language that avoids unnecessary jargon and concepts of an academic discipline. Do not skip around. Use one paragraph to develop one idea or argument and make that idea or argument explicit within the first one or two sentences. Your memo should have a straightforward, explicit organizational structure that provides well-explained arguments arranged within a logical sequence of reasoning [think in terms of an if/then logic model--if this policy recommendation, then this action; if this benefit, then this potential cost; if this group is allocated resources, then this group may be excluded]. Presentation Style The visual impact of your memo affects the reader’s ability to grasp your ideas quickly and easily. Include a table of contents and list of figures and charts, if necessary. Subdivide the text using clear and descriptive headings to guide the reader. Incorporate devices such as capitalization, bold text, and bulleted items, but be consistent, and don’t go crazy; the purpose is to facilitate access to specific sections of the paper for successive readings. If it is difficult to find information in your document, policy makers will not use it. Practical and Feasible Your memorandum should provide a set of actions based on what is actually happening in reality. Do not base your policy recommendations on future scenarios or hypothetical situations that could be interpreted as unlikely to occur or that do not appear possible because you have not adequately explained the circumstances supporting these scenarios. Here again, your cost-benefit analysis can be essential to validating the practicality and feasibility of your recommendations. Explicit Transparency Provide specific criteria to assess either the success or failure of the policies you are recommending. As much as possible, this criteria should be derived from your cost/benefit analysis. Do not hide or under-report information that does not support your policy recommendations. Just as you would note the limitations of your study in a research paper, a policy memo should describe issues of weakness of your analysis. Explain why they may arise and why your recommendations are still valid despite these issues. Be open and straightforward because doing so strengthens your arguments and it will help the reader assess the overall impact of recommended policy changes.

NOTE: Technically, it would not be wrong for your policy memo to argue for maintaining the status quo. However, the general objective of a policy memo assignment is to critically examine opportunities for transformative change and to highlight the risks of on-going complacency. If you choose to argue for maintaining the current policy trajectory, in whole or in part, be concise in identifying and systematically refuting all relevant policy options. Again, it must be rooted in an evidence-based cost/benefit analysis. Whether maintaining current policies is short-term or long-term [and these need to be clearly defined], you must explain concisely why each possible outcome of maintaining the status quo would be preferable to any alternative policy options and recommended courses of action. If your argument for maintaining the status quo is short-term, explain what factors in the future could trigger a policy-related course correction.

Herman, Luciana. Policy Memos. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Harvard University; How to Write a Public Policy Memo. Student Learning Center. University of California, Berkeley; Policy Memo. Thompson Writing Program, Writing Studio. Duke University; Policy Memo Guidelines. Cornell Fellows Program. Cornell University; Memo: Audience and Purpose. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Policy Memo Requirements and Guidelines, 2012-2013 edition. Institute for Public Policy Studies. University of Denver; Thrall, A. Trevor. How to Write a Policy Memo. University of Michigan--Dearborn, 2006; Mastro, Oriana Skylar. "Teach What you Preach: A Comprehensive Guide to the Policy Memo as a Methods Teaching Tool." Journal of Political Science Education 17 (2021): 326-340; Writing Effective Memos. Electronic Hallway. Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs. University of Washington; Writing Effective Policy Memos. Water & Sanitation Infrastructure Planning syllabus. Spring 2004. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Structure and Writing Style

The contents of a policy memo can be organized in a variety of ways. Below is a general template adapted from the “Policy Memo Requirements and Guidelines, 2012-2013 edition” published by the Institute for Public Policy Studies at the University of Denver and from suggestions made in the book, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem-Solving [Eugene Bardach. 4th edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2012] . Both sources provide useful approaches to writing a policy memo in the event your professor does not provide specific guidance. Overall, the tone of your writing should be formal but assertive. Note that the most important consideration in terms of writing style is professionalism, not creativity. I.  Cover Page Provide a complete and informative cover page that includes the document title, date, the full names and titles of the writer or writers [i.e., Joe Smith, Student, Department of Political Science, University of Southern California]. The title of the policy memo should be formally written and specific to the policy issue [e.g., “Charter Schools, Fair Housing, and Legal Standards: A Call for Equal Treatment”]. For longer memos, consider including a brief executive summary that highlights key findings and recommendations.

II.  Introduction and Problem Definition A policy memorandum should begin with a short summary introduction that defines the policy problem, provides important contextual background information, and explains what issues are being covered. This is followed by a short justification for writing the memo, why a decision needs to be made [answering the “So What?” question], and an outline of the recommendations you make or key themes the reader should keep in mind. Summarize your main points in a few sentences, then conclude with a description of how the remainder of the memo is organized.

III.  Methods This is usually where other research about the problem or issue of concern is summarized. Describe how you plan to identify and locate the information on which your policy memo is based. This may include peer-reviewed journals and books as well as possible professionals you interviewed, databases and websites you explored, or legislative histories or relevant case law that you used. Remember this is not intended to be a thorough literature review; only choose sources that persuasively support your position or that help lay a foundation for understanding why actions need to be taken.

IV.  Issue Analysis This section is where you explain in detail how you examined the issue and, by so doing, persuade the reader of the appropriateness of your analysis. This is followed by a description of how your analysis contributes to the current policy debate. It is important to demonstrate that the policy issue may be more complex than a basic pro versus con debate. Very few public policy debates can be reduced to this type of rhetorical dichotomy. Be sure your analysis is thorough and takes into account all factors that may influence possible strategies that could advance a recommended set of solutions.

V.  Proposed Solutions Write a brief review of the specific solutions you evaluated, noting the criteria by which you examined and compared different proposed policy alternatives. Identify the stakeholders impacted by the proposed solutions and describe in what ways they will benefit from your proposed solution. Focus on identifying solutions that have not been proposed or tested elsewhere. Offer a contrarian viewpoint that challenges the reader to take into account a new perspective on the research problem. Note that you can propose solutions that may be considered radical or unorthodox, but they must be realistic and politically feasible.

VI.  Strategic Recommendations Solutions are just opinions until you provide a path that delineates how to get from where you are to where you want to go. Describe what you believe are the best recommended courses of action [i.e., "action items"]. In writing this section, state the broad approach to be taken, with specific, practical steps or measures that should be implemented. Be sure to also state by whom and within what time frame these actions should be taken. Conclude by highlighting the consequences of maintaining the status quo [or if supporting the status quo, why change at this time would be detrimental]. Also, clearly explain why your strategic recommendations are best suited for addressing the current policy situation.

VI.  Limitations As in any academic paper, you must describe limitations to your analysis. In particular, ask yourself if each of your recommendations are realistic, feasible, and sustainable, and in particular, that they can be implemented within the current bureaucratic, economic, political, cultural, social, or other type of contextual climate in which they reside. If not, you should go back and clarify your recommendations and provide further evidence as to why the recommendation is most appropriate for addressing the issue. It does not necessarily undermine the overall recommendations of your study if the limitation cannot be overcome, but you must clearly acknowledge this. Place the limitation within the context of a critical issue that needs further study in concurrence with possible implementation [i.e., findings indicate service learning promotes civic engagement, but there is a lack of data on the types of service learning programs that exist among high schools in South Central Los Angeles].

VII.  Cost-Benefit Analysis This section may be optional but, in some cases, your professor may ask you to include an explicit summary analysis of the costs and benefits of each recommendation. If you are asked to include a separate cost-benefit analysis, be concise and brief. Since most policy memos do not have a formal conclusion, the cost-benefit analysis can act as your conclusion by summarizing the key differences among policy alternatives and recommended courses of action.

Bardach, Eugene. A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem-Solving . 4th edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2012; Herman, Luciana. Policy Memos. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Harvard University; How to Write a Public Policy Memo. Student Learning Center. University of California, Berkeley; Policy Memo Guidelines. Cornell Fellows Program. Cornell University; Memo: Audience and Purpose. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Pennock, Andrew. “The Case for Using Policy Writing in Undergraduate Political Science Courses.” PS: Political Science and Politics 44 (January 2011): 141-146; Policy Memo Requirements and Guidelines, 2012-2013 edition. Institute for Public Policy Studies. University of Denver; Thrall, A. Trevor. How to Write a Policy Memo. University of Michigan--Dearborn, 2006; Sajedinejad, S., et al. From Research to Impact: A Toolkit for Developing Effective Policy Briefs . Toronto, Ontario: Policy Bench, Fraser Mustard Institute of Human Development, University of Toronto, 2021; What Are Policy Briefs. FAO Corporate Document Repository. United Nations; Writing Effective Memos. Electronic Hallway. Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs. University of Washington; Writing Effective Policy Memos. Water & Sanitation Infrastructure Planning syllabus. Spring 2004. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Proofreading the Memo

Problems to Avoid

The style and arrangement of an effectively written memo can differ because no two policies, nor their intended audience of readers, are exactly the same. Nevertheless, before you submit your policy memo, be sure you proofread the document so that you avoid these common problems. If you identify one or more of these problems, you should rewrite or re-organize the content accordingly.

1.  Acknowledge the Law of Unintended Consequences . No policy analysis is complete until you have identified for whom the policy actions are supposed to benefit and identify what groups may be impacted by the consequences of their implementation. Review your memo and make sure you have clearly delineated who could be helped and who could be potentially harmed or excluded from benefiting from your recommended policy actions. As noted by Wilcoxen, this is also important because describing who may or may not benefit can help you anticipate which stakeholder groups will support your policy recommendations and which groups will likely oppose it. Calculating potential "winners" and "losers" will help reveal how much it may cost to compensate those groups excluded from benefiting. By building this compensation into your policy recommendations, you are better able to show the reader how to reduce political obstacles.

2.  Anticipate the Reader's Questions . Examine your recommended courses of action and identify any open-ended, declarative, indeterminate, or ambiguous statements that could lead the reader to have to ask further questions. For example, you declare that the most important factor supporting school choice among parents is distance from home. Without clarification or additional information, this could lead the reader to ask numerous questions, such as, why or by what means do you know this, what distance is considered to be too far, what factors contribute to parent's decision about school choice and distance from schools, or what age group does this most apply to. Clarify these types of open-ended statements so that your policy recommendations can be more fully understood and accepted as valid.

3.  Be Concise . Being succinct in your writing does not relate to the overall length of the policy memo or the amount of words you use. It relates to your ability to provide a lot of information clearly and without superfluous detail. Strategies include r eviewing long paragraphs and breaking them up into parts, looking for long sentences and eliminating unnecessary qualifiers and modifiers, and deleting prepositional phrases in favor of adjectives or adverbs. The overarching goal is to be thorough and precise in how your ideas are presented and to avoid writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions.

4.  Focus on the Results . While it is important that your memo describe the methods by which you gathered and analyzed the data informing your policy recommendations, the content should focus on explaining the results of your analysis and the logic underpinning your recommendations. Remember your audience. The reader is presumably a decision-maker with limited knowledge of the issue and who has little time to contemplate the methods of analysis. The validity of your findings will be determined primarily by your reader's determination that your policy recommendations and supporting action items are realistic and rooted in sound reasoning. Review your memo and make sure the statement about how you gathered the data is brief and concise. If necessary, technical issues or raw data can be included in an appendix.

5.  Minimize Subjective Reasoning . Although the memo should be persuasive, avoid emphasizing your personal opinion about the topic. A policy memo should be written in a professional tone with recommendations based upon empirical reasoning while, at the same time, reflecting a level of passion about your topic. However, being passionate does not imply being opinionated. The memo should emphasize presenting all of the facts a reader would need to reach their own conclusions about the validity of your recommendations.

6.  Use of Non-textual Elements . Review all tables, charts, figures, graphs, or other non-textual elements and make sure they are labeled correctly. Examine each in relation to the text, making sure they are described adequately and that they relate to the overall content of your memo. If these elements are located in appendices, make sure references to them within the text are correct [i.e., reference to Figure 2 is actually the table you want the reader to look at].

Bardach, Eugene and Eric M. Pataschnik. A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem-Solving . 5th edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2016; Herman, Luciana. Policy Memos. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Harvard University; How to Write a Public Policy Memo. Student Learning Center. University of California, Berkeley; Memo: Audience and Purpose. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Policy Memo Requirements and Guidelines, 2012-2013 edition. Institute for Public Policy Studies. University of Denver; Wilcoxen, Peter J. Tips on Writing a Policy Memo. PAI 723, Economics for Public Decisions Course Syllabus. Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.

Writing Tip

Difference Between a Policy Memo and a Policy Brief

A policy memo and a policy brief share much in common. They both describe the rationale for choosing particular policy alternatives or courses of action, they both contain persuasive language, and both documents are written for non-experts, such as, practitioners, politicians, non-governmental agency workers, lobbyists, and others who work on or regularly make decisions about the issue addressed in the document. Both documents are free of jargon or technical terminology and focus on communicating the practical implications of prior policy research to a specific audience based on available evidence.

Ironically, however, a policy memo is typically shorter in length than a policy “brief.” A policy memo usually ranges from one to twenty-five pages, while a policy brief can be anywhere from twenty to more than a hundred pages in length depending on the complexity of the topic. Therefore:

• A policy brief is commonly produced in response to a request from a decision-maker concerning an issue that requires more thorough information to address the underlying policy problem or they are produced by an advocacy group or organization for the purpose of influencing a specific policy, often in an urgent tone. Non-textual elements , such as, figures, charts, graphs, or diagrams, are often included.
• A policy memo is concisely written and presents information, ideas, and recommendations clearly so the reader can quickly scan the document for the most relevant points. Policy memos focus on brevity and often synthesize existing evidence in language that is direct, specific, and with minimal background information or historical context. Non-textual elements are only included if necessary.

Guide to Writing an Effective Policy Memo. Leadership for Educational Equity, New York; Policy Briefs. The Writing Center, University of North Carolina;  Policy Memo. Writing Studio, Duke University; Manny, Karoline. What is a Policy Brief/Memo? Grace Doherty Library, Centra College; Sajedinejad, S., et al. From Research to Impact: A Toolkit for Developing Effective Policy Briefs . Toronto, Ontario: Policy Bench. Fraser Mustard Institute of Human Development, University of Toronto, 2021.

Another Writing Tip

Citing Sources

Policy memos generally do not include extensive footnotes, endnotes, further readings, or a bibliography. However, if you use supporting information in a memo, cite the source in the text. For example, you may refer to a study that supported a specific assertion by referencing it in the following manner: "A study published in 2012 by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling showed that public opinion towards China was....” However, some assignments may require a formal list of references. Before writing your memo, be sure you are clear about how your professor wants you to cite any sources referred to in your analysis.

Policy Memo. Thompson Writing Program, Writing Studio. Duke University.

Yet Another Writing Tip

Using Non-Textual Elements

Policy memos are not just text-based but frequently include numeric tables and charts or other non-textual elements, such as photographs, maps, and illustrations. However, it is important that you use non-textual elements judiciously and only in relation to supplementing and clarifying arguments made in the text so as not to distract the reader from the main points of your memo . As with any non-textual elements, describe what the reader is seeing and why the data is important to understanding the policy problem.

Still Yet Another Writing Tip

Including Appendices

The purpose of an appendix is to provide supplementary material that is not an essential part of the main text but which may be helpful in providing the reader with more complete information. If you have information that is vital to understanding an issue discussed in the memo, it can be included in one or more appendices. However, if you have a lot of information, don't write a five page memo and include twenty pages of appendices. Memos are intended to be  succinct and clearly expressed. If there is a lot of data, refer to the source and summarize it, or discuss with your professor how it should be included.

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Resources for Writing Briefs

Policy is an important tool for improving population health. Decision makers often look to public health professionals for surveillance data, research findings, and evidence-based interventions and guidelines to help inform policy decisions. CDC has identified four types of briefing documents that can be used to clearly communicate public health evidence. Public health professionals can use the resources below to develop briefs that succinctly inform decision makers and stakeholders of the best available evidence on a public health problem, policy, method, or approach.

Accelerating Science Impact: Four Types of Briefing Documents

The four types of briefing documents can be used to share evidence and inform decisions at every stage of the CDC Policy Process. Selecting the appropriate brief depends on the level of the evidence available and the stage in the policy process. As research evidence grows and more information becomes available, public health professionals can move from an Issue Brief on the public health problem up to a Policy Impact Brief on the potential health, economic, or budgetary impact of a policy. All four brief types are described below.

• An Information Brief provides a summary of the research on a policy method, approach, or other related topic like behavioral economics or the Health in All Policies approach.
• An Issue Brief provides a summary of the best available evidence on a public health problem with policy implications. An issue brief is most appropriate when no policy solutions are known to exist and the issue is still in the problem identification domain of the policy process.
• A Policy Brief builds on an issue brief by providing a summary of evidence-based best practices or policy options for a public health problem. A policy brief is appropriate for issues in domains two, three, four and five of the policy process: policy analysis, strategy and policy development, policy enactment, and policy implementation respectively.
• A Policy Impact Brief is the most in-depth briefing document and provides a summary of the best available evidence on health, economic, or budgetary impact of one or more policies for a public health problem. A policy impact brief is appropriate when evaluations and evidence exist on the health or economic impact of the policy.

Steps for Writing Briefs

Steps for Writing Briefs Infographic Text

When you’re ready to start developing your brief, consider the following steps.

• Identify your key audience. Potential audiences may be those who inform policy at the federal, state, or local level; federal, state, local, or nongovernmental decision makers; or other stakeholders.
• Conduct audience research. In order to translate the evidence in a way that is easy to understand, get to know your audience. Don’t guess or assume. Review data or, when possible, gather new data through formative research.
• Determine your purpose and make sure your material contains one obvious main message.
• Define and explain terms that may be unfamiliar to your audience. Avoid using jargon or technical terms unless absolutely necessary.
• A “chunk” is the amount of words or numbers people can hold in their short-term memory and group with other words or numbers. A chunk should be only one idea that people can connect to other, related ideas.
• Use headings to organize and label chunks.
• Use bulleted or numbered lists to break up text in the body of the material and make information easier to scan and read. Lists with more than seven items should be broken into sub-lists.
• Review the  CDC Clear Communication Index for other tips on communicating clearly with your intended audiences.
• Include at least one visual aid that conveys or supports the main message. Photographs, graphs, and infographics are visual aids. Simple, well-designed visual aids help people easily and quickly grasp information. Make sure words and visual aids convey the same message and reinforce each other.
• Include considerations for the key audience. Be clear about what the evidence might mean (as it relates to the issue at hand) but also what it might not mean (if relevant), and frame the evidence in a way that is accurate and easy for the audience to understand.
• Format your brief.  Finally, your brief should be concise, compelling, and visually appealing to your audience.

PDF Version – Steps for Writing Briefs Infographic [PDF – 479 KB]

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 Today's Hours

Policy Brief Basics: What are the common elements of a policy brief?

• What is a policy memo or brief?

What are the common elements of a policy brief?

• What defines a good policy brief?
• Tools to help write a policy brief
• Sample policy memos / briefs

What are the common parts of a policy brief?

Every policy memo or brief includes a BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) explanation of the issue. It states the problem in terms specific to the goal of the target audience/decision-maker and directly addresses the decision-maker’s needs in the opening lines.

The structure of the policy brief or memo varies. The most common elements of the policy brief or memo are as follows:

Title – The aim of the title is to catch the attention of the reader and compel him/her to read further.

Executive summary - The aim of the executive summary is a "boiled down" presentation of your memo or brief's main arguments which serves to convince the reader that the issue is worth in-depth investigation. It may be the only section of the memo/brief that the decision-maker reads, so you should make it count. It should contain:

• The specific issue or problem addressed in the brief;
• The most striking current policy failures;
• Your recommendation.

You should write the executive summary last. It should be able to stand on its own to present the most important aspects of your argument.

Background / Context and importance of the problem - The aim in this section is to present the most striking facts or elements of the problem in order to convince your audience that they need to rethink the issue and ultimately change the current policy approach. As such, it usually includes:

• A clear statement of the problem or issue;
• A short overview of the root causes of the problem;
• A clear statement, including evidence, of the significance of the problem.

Policy option alternatives - The aim of this element is to state and give details about: 1) the shortcomings of the current approach or options being implemented; and/or 2) outline possible alternative approaches to the problem; and therefore, illustrate both the need for change and focus of where change needs to occur. This section should be fair and accurate, while convincing the reader why the policy action proposed in the brief is the most desirable.

Policy recommendations - A breakdown of the specific practical steps or measures that need to be implemented.

Appendices (if necessary)

Sources consulted or recommended

Depending on your specific topic and assignment, you might combine sections or break them down into several more specific ones.

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Development of two policy briefs for the "Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Basic Education " project

UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) is implementing the “Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in basic education” project in Namibia and Zimbabwe. This project is supporting the integration of living heritage in basic education, through a whole-school approach involving communities, teachers, and learners. Incorporating living heritage in schools can help contextualize how and what students learn, create stronger connections between classrooms and learners’ everyday life and strengthen their sense of pride for their own cultures and respect for others. Integrating living heritage in schools strengthens appreciation of cultural diversity; connects schools, families, and communities; reinforces relations between children, their parents, and grandparents; engages them in heritage safeguarding; and stimulates students’ curiosity – all this while making learning more relevant, inclusive, and accessible. 

Furthermore, intangible cultural heritage supports linking education systems to the local community and vice versa, recognizing the role of the communities in the teaching and learning processes. In this regard, intangible cultural heritage provides a needed and incredibly rich resource for attaining SDG 4, notably Target 4.7 which emphasizes learning to ‘appreciate cultural diversity’ and to ‘understand the role of culture for development’ as part of education for sustainable development and global citizenship.  

THE ASSIGNMENT AND EXPECTED OUTPUTS

In this context, UNESCO is seeking a consultant(s) to develop two policy briefs for the "Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Basic Education " project, and to provide expertise and support through planning, facilitation, and participation at the high-level policy dialogue meetings to be held in Namibia and Zimbabwe in November 2024. 

The consultant(s) will provide the following services under the “Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Basic Education in Namibia and Zimbabwe” project. 

Draft and submit a detailed workplan including:  

• The approach the contractor will undertake to complete the tasks in the contract. 
• Proposed dates for internal planning meetings with the UNESCO Project Coordinator and related stakeholders. 
• A timeline outlining the start and end dates for each task and milestone.  
• Travel schedule to Namibia and Zimbabwe for project related work. This should include, where necessary: 

– one trip to Namibia and Zimbabwe reflectively for consultative meetings with stakeholders on the development of policy briefs.  

– one trip to Namibia and Zimbabwe to attend and facilitate sessions for the high-level policy dialogue meetings. 

Develop Policy Briefs on integrating living heritage in formal education in national education systems:    

Engage and manage a technical expert on intangible cultural heritage to assist with the drafting of two context specific policy briefs.  

Draft (2) two context specific policy briefs ((1) one for Namibia and (1) one for Zimbabwe), providing recommendations, and actionable strategies for integrating living heritage in formal education in national education systems. 

Conduct research and/ or interviews with the key stakeholders as needed in developing the policy brief in consultation with the key stakeholders.  

These stakeholders should include:  

Government officials from the Ministry of Arts and Education in Namibia, 

Curriculum Developers from the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) in Namibia,  

Southern African Intangible Cultural Heritage platform members in Namibia and Zimbabwe, 

Government officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, specifically from the department of Primary, Secondary and Non-Formal Education (PSNE) in Zimbabwe,  

Curriculum Developers from Curriculum Development and Technical Services (CDTS) under Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in Zimbabwe.  

The contact list will be supplied to the contractor by the UNESCO Project Coordinator.  

Present the proposals in the policy briefs at two high-level inter-ministerial policy dialogue meetings in Namibia and Zimbabwe and suggest possible next steps to integrate living heritage in formal education at the national level.   

Participate in the planning meetings and develop the agenda and run of show for the high-level inter-ministerial policy dialogue meetings.  

Under the guidance and approval of UNESCO Project Coordinator and in consultation with the ministries in Namibia and Zimbabwe, develop the meeting agenda/program and run of show, ensuring alignment with the objectives of the event. 

Participate, as needed, in planning meetings for high-level policy dialogue meetings scheduled to be held in November in Zimbabwe and Namibia.  

Facilitate the session high-level inter-ministerial policy dialogue meetings in Zimbabwe and Namibia.  

Prepare (2) two presentations on the policy briefs developed for Namibia and Zimbabwe, for review and endorsement by the UNESCO Project Coordinator. 

Deliver the presentations, which should include a summary of the policy and actionable proposals to high-level delegates and meeting participants during the inter-ministerial meeting.  

Facilitate and moderate the policy dialogue sessions.  

PROJECT TIMELINE

 Project duration is estimated to be at least 6 months. 

The contract will be managed by the UNESCO ROSA based in Harare, Zimbabwe. The contractor will be expected to provide an updated status of the assignment as per agreement in the terms of references. Formal reporting is expected upon delivery of each deliverable. Additional reporting activities may be requested by UNESCO ROSA on a need basis. 

BUDGET AND PAYMENT

The consultant/firm will be selected following a competitive bidding process. Candidates must submit a cost estimation (in USD) as an expression of interest, clearly itemizing costs. Payment will be done upon submission of each deliverable. 

COPYRIGHT, PATENTS AND OTHER PROPRIETARY RIGHTS

All rights, including title to property, copyright, trademark and patent; in any work produced by the consultant by virtue of the contract, shall be vested in UNESCO which alone shall hold all rights of use.  

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

Accountability (C)  

Communication (C)  

Innovation (C)  

Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)  

Planning and organizing (C)  

Results focus (C)  

Teamwork (C)  

Professionalism (C) 

ELIGIBILITY/ REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The successful bidder is expected to demonstrate experience and list relevant projects as follows:

Experience and Expertise:

 Team Composition:

 Communication and Coordination:

Stakeholder Engagement:

Agenda Development and Facilitation:

Reporting and Evaluation:

At least 5 years of experience in policy analysis, development, and advocacy, preferably in cultural heritage, education, or related areas.

Previous experience working with international organizations or NGOs, particularly in facilitating high-level policy dialogues and developing policy briefs for government stakeholders.

Proficiency in conducting research and interviews to gather relevant data and insights for policy brief development.

Experience in analyzing policy contexts and identifying actionable strategies and recommendations for policy integration.

Availability of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in policy analysis, research, stakeholder engagement, cultural heritage, education, and facilitation.

Inclusion of technical experts on intangible cultural heritage or related fields to ensure the accuracy and relevance of policy briefs.

Strong communication and coordination skills to liaise effectively with UNESCO Project Coordinator, government officials, and other stakeholders.

Ability to develop detailed work plans, including internal planning meetings and travel schedules, and adhere to agreed timelines.

Ability to engage with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, curriculum developers, and cultural heritage experts, to gather input and ensure policy relevance and buy-in.

Experience in organizing and facilitating stakeholder consultations and high-level policy dialogue meetings.

Skills in developing meeting agendas and run-of-show documents aligned with meeting objectives and stakeholder expectations.

Experience in facilitating and moderating policy dialogue sessions, including presentation delivery and interactive discussions.

Capacity to provide comprehensive reports on policy brief development processes, stakeholder engagements, and outcomes of high-level policy dialogue meetings.

Willingness to participate in post-event evaluations and incorporate feedback for future improvements.

Please support this with at least two references

For detailed information, please consult the [UNESCO Competency Framework] ( https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/competency_framework_e.pdf ). 

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

All interested candidates are required to submit a technical and financial proposal via email to  [email protected] with cc to  [email protected]  by 24 May 2024. 

The technical proposal shall be no more than 4 pages concisely presented and structured to include the following information: 

- Presentation of your (team) profile/ up to date Curriculum Vitae 

- Brief Workplan and timeline

 - At least two (2) verifiable references

The financial proposal should be no more than 1 page and should detail: an appropriate Price Schedule which includes, as a minimum, the consultancy rate (in USD) and indication of which items may be negotiated, if applicable, or which items can be modified as per the budget. Full and final costs should include all taxes. 

Within your application, please include samples of work related to this assignment, including at least three (3) policy briefs previously developed in the areas of culture and/ or education, and samples of presentations delivered at high-level meetings or conferences, etc. These will be assessed on quality, effectiveness of the presentation of findings and conclusions, amongst other key issues.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Proposals should be received by 24 May 2024 at the latest. No modifications can be made to the application submitted. The proposals received after the above deadline will not be considered.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice and may include tests and/or assessments, and a competency-based interview. UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. UNESCO is committed to achieve and sustain gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities, as well as nationals from non-and under-represented Member States are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. 

Related items

• Priority Africa
• Programme implementation
• Sharing knowledge
• UN ＆ International cooperation
• Country page: Zimbabwe
• Country page: Namibia
• Region: Africa
• UNESCO Office in Harare
• SDG: SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
• See more add

This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals .

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Article Request for Proposals for lesson plans under the “Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Basic Education in Namibia and Zimbabwe” project 15 May 2024