Contributing to POST research as an expert

Finding out about our research projects

We advertise opportunities to contribute to our research on our Future research projects page. You can subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of new research projects. 

You can also subscribe to the UK Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange Unit’s weekly round-up for information about wider parliamentary engagement opportunities.

Guidance for contributors

POST invites contributions to specific research projects within the periods described on each project page.

Contributions can be emailed to post@parliament.uk, and must follow this format:

• Subject: [the title of the project you would like to contribute to]
• Your name.
• A link to your online research/expert profile if you have one.
• A personal statement of a maximum of 250 words describing:
  • your relevant skills, experience and knowledge
  • key issues relevant to the project that you would like to make us aware of
• A list of links to any papers, publications, or blogs you have written that are relevant to the project topic, where available. Please link to open access sources if you can.

Please note:

• We do not open attachments to emails; do not add them to your contribution.
• We do not accept contributions after the deadline listed on the project page. We cannot extend our deadlines.
• We only accept contributions relevant to the project scope. Irrelevant contributions are not considered.

What happens next?

You will receive an acknowledgement email to confirm receipt.

We will carefully consider the information you supply. Any information we use will be referenced in our work.

We value the information we receive. However, due the volume of information we receive we are normally unable to discuss your contribution with you.

We sometimes contact contributors to obtain further information. Given the number of contributions we receive, we cannot guarantee that you will be contacted.

Suggesting topics for us to research

Experts can suggest topics that they believe POST might wish to research by emailing post@parliament.uk. We are particularly interested in topics that are relevant to the following issues, as described in our Editorial Policy:

• parliamentary business
• questions from parliamentarians
• new and topical issues
• research advances and developments
• developments in policy areas

Please note that POST receives a significant number of emails. We will carefully consider your suggestion, but we are not always able to engage in discussions about it. We cannot guarantee that topics will be selected for a future research project.

Why contribute to our research?

Contributing to one of our projects or suggesting an emerging topic is a good way of feeding your research and expertise into the policy making process.

The evidence we receive helps to improve the functioning of parliament.

We will acknowledge you if we use the information you have contributed. In that way your contribution can help to raise the profile of your work.

For academics, contributing to POST research may lead to research impact as understood in the context of the Research Excellence Framework. Find more information on types of parliamentary impact and ways to evidence this.

If you have any queries about POST or POSTnotes please contact us.