Calling all university social scientists…
Help us to understand more about how research in your discipline has impacts in society.
Fill out our short survey here
As part of the Impact of Social Sciences project, we will be running a short survey for the next few months asking social science academics their views on how research impacts different areas of society, such as business, government, and the third sector, and how the impacts of research could be improved.
So if you are a university social scientist based in the UK, we would like to hear your views. The survey is relatively short, and provides ample space for you to tell us what you think.
It focuses in particular on:
- How you rate the impacts of your research and research in your discipline;
- Identify some good examples of impact and its dynamics; and
- How impacts could be strengthened or boosted.
We are trying to reach a wide range of social science researchers, covering as many disciplines as possible (see the graph below). We would like to hear from academics working in core social science disciplines, as well as those in other disciplines that involve social sciences in cross-over or inter-disciplinary ways. We are also interested to hear from you if you work predominantly in physical or natural sciences, or in arts and humanities, but are interested in potential cross-over research with social science subjects.
The survey will only take 10 minutes or so to complete. But please feel free to give us as much detail as you would like, and leave us your contact details at the end so that we can stay in touch.
Also, it would be great if you would spread the word to other social science colleagues in the hope that they might fill in the survey too.
Many thanks for your interest and help! We really appreciate it.
Our estimation of the number of social science academics doing research 2010/11, by discipline.
There is some literature focused mostly on investigator self evaluation of whether or not their research had impact on a wider non-academic audience but when you turn to policy makers and ask the impact of academic research on decision making the results are much less robust. It is good that you have also asked for stories. Telling us that you have an impact is one thing but telling us how you have had an impact (and more imprtantly how do you know it had an impact) is more important. Good luck with the survey. I look forward to the responses.
I just wanted to point out a major flaw in the REF impact criteria. I have appeared before the Westminster parliament as an expert witness more than two dozen times, before 4 different select committees, been a specialist adviser to two, and appeared before select committees in Edinburgh and Belfast as well. There are numerous subsequent reports quoting my evidence and in some cases incorporating ideas into recommendations.
Not one solitary example fits REF, because all the relevant research was done at places other than my current University. Does this lessen the impact of my work in Westminster and elsewhere whilst at Manchester for the past 7 years? Not one bit.