Departments in the School of Law and Social Sciences recognised for world leading research quality and impact according to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 results.
Two thirds of the research outputs produced by the Politics and International Relations Department has been classified as world leading for its originality, significance and rigour or 4*according to the REF - the key national measure of research quality. This is the highest score achieved by any university across the UK for this type of research . REF also recognised the Impact of our research with 100% judged to be 4* or 3*, with 50% of our impact graded as ‘world-leading’.
Meanwhile, for research in Economics and Econometrics 98.4 percent of outputs were assessed as be 4* or 3* and 50% of the department’s impact judged as world-leading (4*).
100% of our Social Work and Social Policy submission was assessed as world leading or internationally excellent for its impact. This was our first return for sociology, social work, law, forensic psychology and criminology at Royal Holloway and demonstrates the benefit our multi-disciplinary approach
brings to some of today's most pressing policy issues and public debates concerning economic growth and development, prisons and families and public policy.
Professor Matthew Humphreys, Executive Dean said:
“These remarkable results reflect the hard work of staff over some years and our commitment to impact –to research that makes a difference to people’s lives. The REF outcome is recognition of the quality both of individual staff effort and of what we produce in coming together as an academic community in our departments and in the School of Law and Social Sciences.
Our school has research strengths across areas of societal importance including:
• Democracy, elections and electoral processes
• Economic growth and development
• Prisons
• Families
• Public policy
• Human rights
• Gender studies
• Health and care
• Analytical philosophy
The REF provides a robust and thorough assessment of the quality of universities’ research in all disciplines, providing accountability for public investment in research and demonstrating the benefits of that investment.
