Every six to eight years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) compiles a series of Assessment Reports. These reports underpin global policy on climate-change action until the next report cycle has been completed. Since Assessment Reports are compiled by scientists, this process represents a rare chance for each of us to contribute directly or indirectly to decisions that affect all of humanity. While few of us are granted the opportunity or time to serve as a Lead Author, we all publish papers, and many of those papers touch on the effects of climate change—and even local insights are important in a global assessment. So, one question you might ask is: “how do I make it easier for IPCC Lead Authors to find and use my work?” I will address this question, based on my experiences in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Cycle, and on my discussions with other Lead Authors. Answers mainly revolve around understanding details surrounding the detection and attribution of climate impacts, the projection of future risks—including how Earth system models contribute to this process—and the nature of an IPCC “assessment” and its associated “confidence language”. These concepts might sound arcane, but they are mainly things that we all already engage with. By simply packaging them more neatly, not only can we enhance the likelihood that our conclusions will be used by the IPCC, but we can also make Lead Authors’ work significantly easier and ensure that the process is as robust as possible.