Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology celebrates notable Research Excellence Framework (REF) success.

When intensity (100%) and 4* and 3* grades are taken into account, SPA was rated 4th in the UK for Sociology, coming above many other leading universities.

The vast majority - 77% - of SPA’s research submitted to the panel of experts for Sociology was graded as 4* (world leading) and 3* (internationally excellent).

 “Intensity”, another key measure used in the REF assessment, looks at the number of academic staff submitted to the REF process, taken as a proportion of the total number of staff who were eligible to be submitted. SPA submitted 100% of its researchers, a higher proportion than most other UK departments which submitted to the Sociology panel.

A unique aspect of SPA is its interdisciplinary research culture. The research of our philosophers and anthropologists was submitted to the REF process along with that of sociologists. The results show that Philosophy and Anthropology research was as highly rated by the panel of experts as Sociology. Our view is that each of the three disciplines informs and enriches the others in ways that make SPA very distinctive. It is clear that the REF panel of experts agree with that judgement. 

Read our case studies.