CRCC Celebrates Loughborough’s Success in National Research Evaluation

We are delighted that the Research Excellence Framework (REF), whose results were published last Thursday, recognised the outstanding quality of research in Communication and Media at Loughborough University.

Most of our research was assessed by the D34 sub-panel (Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management), which included internationally recognised experts in these disciplines. The CRCC Research Themes of Language and Social Interaction, Media, Memory and History, and Political Communication were central to our D34 submission. Overall, the panel judged two-thirds of our research activity as “world-leading” and about nine out of ten of the publications we submitted as world-leading or internationally excellent. This is an exceptional result and confirms our position as one of the UK’s leading centres for interdisciplinary research in Communication and Media.

CRCC aims to support research that makes a difference in the world. For this reason, we are proud that the REF’s sub-panel evaluated 100% of our Research Impact as world-leading, an accomplishment achieved by only one other UK department. The four Impact Case Studies we submitted demonstrated how our research helped transform communication training in public, private, and third sector organizations, enhance public understanding of media and everyday life under communism during the Cold War, increase the accuracy and impartiality of the BBC’s coverage of rural issues, and improve the quality of media coverage and public debate during elections and referenda. Our research has achieved these meaningful changes thanks to our partnerships with broadcasters, campaigners, journalists, law enforcement agencies, medical professionals, museums, policymakers, public service media, technology companies, and television production companies in the UK and around the world. We are proud that CRCC is fulfilling its mission to support research that helps make the world a better place.

Finally, we are delighted that the REF’s sub-panel assessed 100% of our Research Environment as world-leading. This is the strongest possible endorsement of the vitality and sustainability of our research culture. Only two other UK departments achieved a perfect score in this category. We are delighted that our peers have recognised CRCC’s role in supporting and promoting excellent interdisciplinary and international research, particularly among early-career members of staff.

The results of the REF 2021 show that research in Communication and Media at Loughborough University has a world-leading record of excellence, vitality, and impact, and a bright future ahead. This result is first and foremost due to the competence, creativity, and dedication of our researchers at all career stages, as well as the professional staff who supported their work. The Centre for Research in Communication and Culture is proud to have played a part in this success. We look forward to working with our colleagues to ensure our research continues to grow and responds to the challenges of the future.

 

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