Africa’s future is bright, driven by its youthful population—over 60% under the age of 25—abundant natural resources, technological potential, urbanisation, and growing middle class. However, the realisation of this potential is dependent upon transformative, knowledge-driven policy initiatives, engaged policy communities and measurement of policy impact.
African research institutes and NGOs often struggle to access essential knowledge, much of it hidden in grey literature—unpublished or hard-to-find documents not available in traditional databases. When organisations close or go defunct, this critical policy information risks being lost, limiting valuable insights and stalling progress on pressing issues.
Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks, now available through Sabinet, is transforming how African organisations access and use this valuable information. Partnering with Coherent Digital, Sabinet provides member/subscriber access to one of the largest grey literature repositories, with contributions from over 27,000 organisations, including 933 African groups, more than 75,000 Africa-specific reports and over 900,000 preserved documents from inactive organisations.
Track your real-world impact in the global policy community
The platform’s new Mentions tool helps researchers and influence seekers discover where the documents they are exploring have been cited across a variety of publications, enabling them to trace the impact of their work. This allows African researchers and NGOs to identify relationships between reports, uncover emerging trends, and understand how their region-specific work fits into the global policy landscape.
For example, an NGO working on public health policy can use Mentions to locate additional reports on regional health strategies by reviewing documents that reference their existing research. This insight strengthens policy positions and facilitates collaboration with other organisations focused on similar issues.
As noted in a study published in Information Services & Use, grey literature plays a critical role in policy research, as it often contains timely insights from reports and working papers that have not undergone the lengthy peer-review process typical of academic publications. For African researchers, Policy Commons serves as a vital bridge to this often-overlooked information, ensuring that critical knowledge is accessible for real-world application.
Go beyond traditional citation tracking
Most impact measurement tools track citations—how often an organisation’s work is cited in other academic publications. However, citations are just one measure of influence. Your organisation’s work could be referenced in numerous ways, such as through contributions to government panels, speeches, or even the development of standards or regulations. The Mentions tool captures all types of references to your organisation’s work, providing a more comprehensive view of your impact.
Uncover hidden connections across global research
The Mentions tool reveals impact data about who mentions your organisation, the total number of mentions by year and the top countries in which the mentioning publications were originally published. Not only does it highlight publications that cite your organisation, but it also provides insights into the timelines, regions, and countries of those mentions. Additionally, the tool can be used in reverse to display a list of organisations mentioned by your work, showcasing the range of sources you draw from. For example, a researcher from Harvard may discover that their policy work on artificial intelligence governance is cited most frequently outside the US in France, Canada, and Switzerland.
Whether you are expanding your policy knowledge or using research to inform your business strategy—such as researching localisation policy in the African manufacturing sector—Policy Commons can illuminate key findings. It would reveal that internationally the World Bank Group and UNESCO produces the most output on this topic, with the South African Institute of International Affairs and Institute of Security Studies giving a local flavour to the dialogue. Their publications frequently reference the European Union and the University of Cape Town as top cited organisations, all of which are accessible for in-depth understanding and context. The discovery of connections is endless and strategic.
Policy Commons also provides alerts for new mentions of your organisation in reports or documents, allowing you to specify the originator and topic of interest. This feature keeps you informed about shifts in policy positions and facilitates collaboration with other organisations focused on similar issues, connecting you with potential research partners—or even competitors.
Boost your organisation’s policy research
Towards transformative, knowledge-driven policy initiatives and engaged policy communities Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks is an invaluable resource for African NGOs, universities, and policy institutes, connecting them with vital research, strengthening policy strategies, and preserving their contributions for future use. The Mentions tool enhances this by providing a more detailed view of how their work is being applied in the real world, unlocking new potential research partnerships and strengthening international collaboration.
To experience the full potential of Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks, register for a free trial or contact Sabinet for a demo today. Empower your organisation with the insights needed to shape Africa’s policy future.
