Guidelines for Research News Releases
“A dynamic Research Communications Office is an essential component in sustaining the U of S as a research-intensive institution. Effective communications are required to celebrate successes of the University and help build a strong reputation among potential students and faculty, attract government and industry support for research, and maintain an open and accountable relationship with the people of the province.” -- 2003-04 U of S Foundational Document for Research, Scholarly and Artistic Work.
Criteria for Strategic Research News Releases
U of S research news releases support the following University goals:
- Celebrate success in research, scholarly and artistic work
- Increase campus-wide commitment to research, scholarly and artistic work
- Recruit and retain outstanding faculty
- Establish U of S as a major presence in graduate education
- Respond to a sense of place – serving Saskatchewan
- Enhance the undergraduate experience
- Become a national centre of excellence in research directly related to Aboriginal peoples
- Increase knowledge transfer and commercialization
- Demonstrate accountability for research dollars, internally and externally
Checklist
Research news releases/advisories should be consistent with the approved U of S 2004-007 Research Communications Plan and should meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Does this release have “news value” for media, addressing an issue of current public interest?
- Does this project raise the local, national or international profile of U of research, scholarly and artistic work, thereby helping to advance U of S as one of the top 10 research-intensive universities in Canada?
- Does this project fit with the six major areas identified in the U of S Integrated Plan:
- Health
- Science, technology, and society
- Environment
- Business and entrepreneurship
- Extending community
- Public policy
- Does this news release fit other key goals of the U of S Integrated Plan such as conveying a sense of place, international standards, celebrating research achievement, promoting Aboriginal research, major presence in graduate education, commercialization?
- Does this project reflect an area of research pre-eminence (*this list currently under development) or an area highlighted the U of S Canada Research Chair Strategic Plan?
- Does this research project/conference have an impact on undergraduate or graduate students and/or the classroom learning experience?
- Does this news release help fulfil a communication obligation to a funding partner (ie. requests for releases from our federal and provincial partners, contractual obligations involved with other types of projects)?
