Policy Briefing Title

UoR Policy Briefing Subtitle. You can add a useful subtitle. It helps keep the main title short and punchy.

Policy brief content

Important note: Keep your brief to a maximum of two pages. The word count will depend on how many pictures and diagrams you have. For a two-page brief, a good structure to follow would be:

Title: Make it as simple and direct as possible. Don't try and be too clever.

Summary: This needs to capture the main ideas of your Brief in a clear and direct way and catch the reader’s attention.

Picture: A good clear photo with a pithy caption relevant to your message.

Policy recommendations: Policymakers need to be reassured you have solutions. So, present practical, actionable recommendations (on the first page if possible). Recommendations should be clear about a) what should be done b) who should do it and c) by when it should be done.

Facts and figures box or case study box.

Main evidence/arguments: Include figures, charts or diagrams if appropriate to help make your Brief more eye-catching and appealing (but make sure they are clear and easy for non-specialists to read/use). Try to title these with a key message, so the audience can take away your point without having to study the figure/chart/diagram.

References and further reading: If available, a hyperlinked reference that can give a broader representation of your research on the topic, or a link to a relevant web page.

Date (month and year) and your contact details, including website for further info.

Any acknowledgements or credits if they are necessary (such as funder name or logo).

Pull quote e.g. “The results of the study demonstrated that xyz”

To include a caption below an image, go to ‘References’ – ‘Insert Caption’.
To replace an image, right-click and choose ‘change picture’.
To group image and caption (as with this example) highlight objects and right-click for grouping options.
For photos with no caption, insert picture using top menu and delete caption box.

An example of how a table should look

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Column 5
Row 1	Abcd	Your text here or two or more lines	Abcd	Abcd
Row 2	Abcd	More data	Abcd	Abcd
Row 3	Abcd	Extra info	Abcd	Abcd

UoR Captions: Use this style to add a description to pictures, tables or diagrams

For more information, please contact: Team name, Unit name or Contact name University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6XX example@reading.ac.uk Tel (0118) 378 0000 www.reading.ac.uk/research