Results-based planning (similar to the Theory of Change approach) is a technique that starts with the end goal of your project, asking: What is the change you want to see in the world? For each principle we have provided you with a broad, ultimate goal for change – an outcome. You are asked to apply this outcome to your own research context, and decide what it should look like for your project in practical terms.
The tool will then guide you through the next steps of this process: identifying the outputs that will help you to achieve your outcome, the actions needed to get there, and the necessary resources.
The tool is designed to help you apply the results-based planning approach to your own research and therefore create a meaningful set of outcomes, outputs and activities which is specific to the context of your own project. These results will help you to design and deliver a project which centres equity and responsibility. If you are applying for funding, this text can also be used in your grant application, which may ask you to complete sections related to:
The tool is designed to help you decide what plans are appropriate for your individual project. Rather than offering boilerplate text for applications, it supports you in generating bespoke responses that can lead to the delivery of equitable and responsible research.
The single word which best describes the aims of the Valuing Voices tool is appropriateness. Each of the five principles asks you to identify what is most appropriate for your project.
We have used language carefully in this tool, but we might not always get everything right. We aim for it to be accessible for everyone involved in research, regardless of their role, discipline or nationality. We have tried to explain what we mean by particular terms, but at the same time we encourage you to take the broadest possible interpretation of each principle and make it your own by deciding what it means in your research context.
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Valuing Voices is a partnership project between colleagues from the University of York and Mahidol University.
Valuing Voices is a two-year project funded by Wellcome under the Institutional Funding for Research Culture grant.
