The Grand Challenge Initiative is an established, systematic process to champion social progress powered by science, research, and practice. It fosters and promotes innovation to identify and solve the grand challenges of our society. At a time of rapid political, economic, and societal change, as our society faces increasing poverty, inequality, isolation, and injustice, Samantha Baron sets out a Grand […]
Category: Impact
Gained in translation: adding value to research to inform policy
Within the social sciences, translating and sharing new knowledge is now common practice amongst many researchers and institutions across academia. From evidence briefings and summaries of literature to online blogs and presentations, a wide range of research evidence aims to engage policy and practitioner audiences so they can more easily access and use the evidence. Raj Patel questions whether it […]
How do LSE blogs impact the academic sphere? Blogs as citable items in scholarly publications
In the third of a series of posts on the Impact of LSE Blogs project, Carlos Arrebola takes a closer look at the increasing frequency with which LSE blog posts are being cited in scholarly publications. The Impact Blog has been cited most often, perhaps reflecting its authors’ readiness to draw on non-traditional scholarly outputs. Unsurprisingly, a majority of citations come from […]
Introducing the Impact of LSE Blogs project!
Since launching in 2010, more than 2000 contributors have written for LSE’s public-facing academic blogs, reaching an ever-expanding, international audience. But how do we measure the impact of this particular form of research communication? In the first of a short series of posts, Carlos Arrebola and Amy Mollett introduce the Impact of LSE Blogs project. As well as following the progress […]
The impact of social sciences on health behaviour interventions has diminished – more interdisciplinary, culture-focused research is needed
Capturing the impact of social sciences on other disciplines is notoriously difficult. Daniel Holman, Rebecca Lynch, and Aaron Reeves have looked at the example of health behaviour interventions (HBIs), a field recently criticised for failing to draw on alternative, social sciences approaches that emphasise the structured and contextual aspects of behaviour and health. A bibliometric analysis of the HBIs field […]
MSF Scientific Days 2017: improving the effectiveness of humanitarian programmes through scientific research and innovation
MSF Scientific Days is a global network of events focused on how scientific research and innovation can improve the effectiveness of humanitarian medical programmes. Sarah Venis presents some of the highlights of this year’s programme, including discussion of how to best gather evidence from emergency settings, and the challenges of community engagement; as well as an examination of different approaches […]
The REF’s focus on linear and direct impact is problematic and silences certain types of research
In the last Research Excellence Framework (REF), the new element of research impact was understood in very linear and direct terms. Aoileann Ní Mhurchú, Laura McLeod, Stephanie Collins and Gabriel Siles-Brügge consider how accepted definitions of impact may have had the effect of silencing certain types of research. Research and impact should be seen as a two-way street, where academics […]
How to make altmetrics useful in societal impact assessments: shifting from citation to interaction approaches
The suitability of altmetrics for use in assessments of societal impact has been questioned by certain recent studies. Ismael Ràfols, Nicolas Robinson-García and Thed N. van Leeuwen propose that, rather than mimicking citation-based approaches to scientific impact evaluation, assessments of societal impact should be aimed at learning rather than auditing, and focused on understanding the engagement approaches that lead to […]
Equal parts researcher and advocate: having an impact in hard-to-reach communities
Conducting fieldwork in hard-to-reach communities can pose significant challenges. Sarah G. Zawacki‘s research focuses on health in Roma migrant communities and to overcome participants’ initial wariness and mistrust she constructed a data collection strategy in which she was as much a community advocate as a researcher. It is through such active involvement with hard-to-reach communities, and by placing their impressions […]
Ten top tips for social scientists seeking to influence policy
The complex, “wicked” problems that afflict contemporary societies pose a significant challenge to those making policy decisions. The work of social scientists can be crucial to understanding the human and social consequences of such decisions, yet little guidance exists to help them bring their influence to bear. Nadine Marshall and Chris Cvitanovic have compiled ten top tips for social scientists […]