Mobilize knowledge with comics

Internal and external grantors are very often persuaded by research projects that include a plan for communicating and disseminating the results of the funded projects.

☝️ Plans for Rights: illustrated thesis of Contentious Compliance, a political science book on effective configurations for treaties and how certain contingencies lead to positive outcomes (i.e. if one were to plan a more effective treaty location in space in time, some locations are better than others). Art by D.N.Ritter.☝️

The US National Science Foundation (NSF), for instance, emphasizes the importance of the broader impacts of any research project that it funds. The Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council requires a plan for effective knowledge mobilization, meaning funded projects should synthesize, disseminate, and exchange the knowledge the project creates with those who would benefit from the knowledge. 

To be funded, you need to mobilize the knowledge you create

Applicants for funding from these and many other granting institutions must make a case as to why and how the proposed research will benefit society in some tangible way as well as how it will actually reach the beneficiaries to create that impact.

In its tip page for considering and expressing broader impacts of research, the NSF explains that an applicant should describe the plan for creating impact in detail. These tips are helpful guidelines for many granting organizations.

Guide on combatting tobacco companies targeting of queer communities. University of Texas, Houston Health Science Center.

Art by D.N.Ritter

Letters by Micah Myers

Researchers and non-profit organizations seeking grant funding should explain what problem the project solves, how it solves that problem, for which community, and develop a plan that connects the project to that community to solve that problem. This is a great way to convince reviewers for any private, public, or internal funding that your project is worth their money, because most funders do what they do to benefit society.

In many cases, the way in which your project will benefit society requires some method of communicating the importance, innovation, or recommendations of your project to the relevant audience. This is where custom-created comics can be extremely effective.

Comics are sequential and consequential

Most of the work we do as academic researchers, policy analysts, and non-profit organizations is to explain and describe the effects of an intervention:

🟩 Once I added this treatment, it had these effects.

🟩 When this event occurred, the outcome diverged from the comparison case.

🟩 When we administer this program to certain communities, it changes outcomes.

🟩 This change in policy will have these positive outcomes.

We’re often taught to think about these interventions and effects as if/then statements: If this happens, then we will observe a change. Notably, though, these statements also follow the logic of storytelling: There is a problem, a major event occurs, and the event creates an outcome.

In other words, there is a sequence of events, and there are consequences from those events. These are the core elements of a compelling story!

Cigarettes are gross…for everyone

Comics are an ideal way to convey that story. At SP Comics, we help you distill the essence of that story from your research or programming and build it into a narrative. The story arc illustrates the problem you’re seeking to solve, the solution to that problem, and the effects of the solution on society.

We create compelling characters from the communities affected by the problem you’re addressing with your work. In this way, readers from those communities can see themselves in the situation and clearly see the importance of the work you do. The comic is also a way to show readers how to implement your solution. Do they need to participate in a program? What does civil disobedience look like in practice? How can they identify a problem and then solve it?

Comics create narratives and illustrate actions and effects far more effectively for the average affected person than peer-reviewed reports. Grantors think so too.

Communicate, Affect, Change

If you’re a non-profit organization or researcher applying for grant funding for your work, connect with us! We can help with thinking about an ideal format for conveying the story of your work. We also can provide convincing language and research supporting the usefulness of comics and narrative for program uptake and mobilization.

Illustrations by D.N.Ritter