Book excerpt: Shortlisted for the LSA Leonard Bloomfield Book Award 2017 Sociolinguistic Research: Application and Impact provides a unique overview of international research projects, showcasing their positive outcomes and offering critical insights and constructive critiques into the meaning of 'impact' in contemporary research. The book includes: original findings from cutting-edge research from scholars such as Mary Bucholtz, Walt Wolfram and Peter Patrick; coverage of organisational contexts including education, government, justice, heritage, and the workplace; activities including after-school programmes, workplace training courses, social media campaigns, and video productions; application of research to professional practice including teaching (primary school to university), adjudication, police interviewing, and governmental policymaking; contributors' personal reflections on the research process and its outcomes, including constructive critiques of institutional definitions of impact. With chapters spanning research across five continents, Sociolinguistic Research: Application and Impact is essential reading for sociolinguistic researchers, students embarking on sociolinguistic research, and anyone interested in the practical application of research on language and society.