Sign up by creating a free account. Simply provide your details, and once registered, you can start contributing briefs and indicating your availability for expert consultations.

No, joining Acume, sharing briefs, and signing up as an expert is completely free. We are committed to democratising access to academic knowledge, and we do not charge academics to contribute to our platform nor anyone to read these contributions.

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Academics, researchers, and subject-matter experts from the humanities, social sciences, behavioural sciences, or working on an SDG-related topic are eligible to publish on Acume. This includes current academics, PhD candidates, and researchers using academic methodologies. If you’re active at a university, sign up for an academic account. If not, sign up as a non-academic researcher—ideal for those working independently, at NGOs, think tanks, or outside of academia. We welcome diverse contributions to ensure a broad, inclusive pool of knowledge.

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Yes, you can. You can join as a non-academic or NGO researcher, or if applicable, link your profile to your previous university affiliation.

Absolutely! We welcome different perspectives and encourage multiple academics from the same department, university, or co-authored research to join Acume.

When co-authors join, they can be linked to your summary and attributed as part of the original research, but it’s not yet possible for them to be able to edit the summary. The summary is authored by one researcher, offering their unique perspective on the key findings and recommendations from the research, and the other researchers will be acknowledged.

This is because we want to invite opinions as a outcome of an expert doing the research rather than regurgitating the paper, and we haven’t figured out how to make this collaborative yet. If you have any ideas please send them our way([email protected])

No, peer-reviewed status is not required. We welcome both published and unpublished work, as long as it follows rigorous and trustworthy academic methods. To maintain transparency, we ask a few questions about your methodology. Non-academics are also welcome to contribute, as long as they follow similar standards and identify as a non-academic researcher.

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Yes, you can base your research brief on multiple papers. If your research involves a series of interconnected studies, such as a PhD thesis covering different aspects of a topic, you can consolidate them into one brief. You can also list each paper, book, or study that your brief is based on.

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For example, if you’ve conducted several studies on sustainable agricultural practices in different regions of East Africa, you could create a summary titled “Sustainable Agriculture and Development in East Africa.” In this summary, you can group key findings from all related studies and list each paper as a reference, providing a comprehensive overview of your research.

Yes, you can still create a brief even if your original research is under copyright. As the author, you’re free to share your insights in a way that serves a transformative purpose and respects copyright under fair use principles. Copyright restricts the specific text and presentation of the work, not the underlying ideas or evidence. However, we still recommend double-checking with your publisher to confirm any specific permissions or restrictions.

To ensure compliance with publisher guidelines, avoid reproducing the original text, figures, or copyrighted images directly from the publication. Instead, focus on rephrasing the main findings and sharing your unique perspective on the research in new language.

At Acume, we’ve developed a framework to make academic insights accessible to new audiences, such as policymakers and NGOs, while respecting copyright. Here’s how our approach supports this:

• Transformative briefs: Our framework encourages briefs that go beyond the original paper to focus on the research itself and ideas and opinions of the researcher. Rather than copying directly from the article, we encourage researchers to rephrase and explain key findings in a simple, practical and non-academic language, which is also necessary for making complex research accessible and available to a new non-academic audience.
• Attribution and source linking: We encourage authors to credit the original publication in the reference section and provide a direct link, so readers who need the full details can consult and reference the original paper directly.
• Purpose of Acume’s evidence hub: The purpose of Acume’s evidence hub is to make evidence and ideas accessible to non-academics to improve impact, so we have no commercial intent. We are not replacing or competing with the original publication.

Ultimately, academics have full control over their briefs, with Acume’s framework supporting compliance, accessibility, and collaboration with publishers. Ready to get started? Sign up here.

Yes, you retain full copyright of your original work and the briefs you create.

While your brief is hosted on our platform, Acume has the right to distribute and promote it. If you remove your brief, it will no longer be available on the platform, and we will cease further distribution or promotion. However, any social posts, marketing, or other materials already created or shared with third parties will not be retracted.

No, it’s not necessary to upload the full paper. We only require a concise brief of your research. If you have an open-access version, we encourage you to include a link so readers can explore it further.

You also have the option to upload a version of your paper directly to Acume, where it will be available as a downloadable link. This is optional and should only be done if you have the rights to distribute that version freely.

You have full control over your research briefs on Acume. Once your first brief is published, you can manage and edit your brief at any time.

To make changes, simply log into your account using your registered email, navigate to your list of briefs, and click the ‘Edit’ option next to the one you’d like to update. Your edits will be reflected immediately on the platform.

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Yes, you can delete briefs via your dashboard. If it is published, then you’ll need to first unpublish it, then delete.

Once you are matched with an organisation and agree to the terms, you’ll be provided with the full challenge details and any necessary reading materials. This preparation should take no more than an hour and should be done a few hours before the consultation to allow time for reflection. We’ll also provide a guide to help you prepare. The consultation itself lasts one hour, where you will offer expert insights, advice, or a critical review. Payment is processed once the client confirms their satisfaction.

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For expert consultations, Acume takes a fair commission to sustain the platform. The offer you receive will clearly state the total amount you’ll be paid, with no further deductions. Payment is processed once the client confirms they are satisfied with your consultation. Payments are typically made within 14 days, though delays may occur—we are actively working to speed up this process. If any issues arise, Acume will mediate between both parties to find a resolution. In rare cases, if the client remains unsatisfied for valid and proven reasons, payment may not be finalised.

If you receive an offer but are unavailable, you can decline without any issues, and you’ll still be considered for future opportunities.

However, if you’ve already committed to a session and become unavailable, please inform us as soon as possible so we can manage the situation.