LSE Impact

Why Mega-conferences work better than their critics think

mcclell2 — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:53:41 +0000

Critics attack academic mega-conferences as too big and too cliquish, favouring smaller, curated meetings as the humane alternative. For Dritjon Gruda, Bex Hewett, Joe Carpini, Kiera Dempsey-Brench, Julian Jonathan Markus, and Jorrit Alkema, scale is what makes … Continued

The post Why Mega-conferences work better than their critics think first appeared on LSE Impact.

What counts as data in qualitative research?

mcclell2 — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:21:14 +0000

In research articles and reports qualitative work is often reduced to text, which is in turn analysed by human and increasingly machine readers. However, original qualitative analyses depend on a … Continued

The post What counts as data in qualitative research? first appeared on LSE Impact.

As impact is increasingly found in non-academic careers what skills do PhD students need now?

mcclell2 — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:15:24 +0000

Tight academic job markets and the growth of research-intensive jobs outside of academia have made hyphenated careers that combine research and impact skills increasingly common. Sarah Dorr, Birthe Einen and Louise Olsson argue that students and institutions … Continued

The post As impact is increasingly found in non-academic careers what skills do PhD students need now? first appeared on LSE Impact.

Can we humanise peer review?

mcclell2 — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:43:32 +0000

Peer review faces critical challenges linked to rising submissions and a lack of human reviewers willing to take them on. Considering two experiments in open forms of peer review, Helen Kara and Jenni Guthrie make the case … Continued

The post Can we humanise peer review? first appeared on LSE Impact.

What does scientific progress sound like?

Taster — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 10:00:53 +0000

Data sonification offers a novel, auditory approach to exploring complex datasets and a valuable complement to traditional visual representations. Taking the widely discussed findings of research based on the Consolidation-Disruption … Continued

The post What does scientific progress sound like? first appeared on LSE Impact.

Academia’s “whorephobia” undermines research on sex work

Taster — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:56:23 +0000

Sex workers are excluded from academic research on sex work, yet there could be much to gain from integrating their expertise into academic research.

The post Academia’s “whorephobia” undermines research on sex work first appeared on LSE Impact.

When AI communicates research, who signs it off?

Taster — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence could help close the gap between research and real-world impact, but only if used for audience-specific translation rather than summarisation. Drawing on findings from their Innovate UK-funded project … Continued

The post When AI communicates research, who signs it off? first appeared on LSE Impact.

As AI writing proliferates academics should publish less

Taster — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:01:07 +0000

AI tools have accelerated the production of academic writing to the point where quality control mechanisms and peer review are buckling under the weight of submissions. Muhammad Aamir Cheema argues … Continued

The post As AI writing proliferates academics should publish less first appeared on LSE Impact.

The trust dividend – Why growth makes policy work

Taster — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Public trust often seems like an intangible and elusive goal for governments. However, drawing on a new study, Timothy Besley, Christopher Dann, and Sacha Dray, show how public trust can … Continued

The post The trust dividend – Why growth makes policy work first appeared on LSE Impact.

India’s doctoral ambitions outpace support for social science

Taster — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:00:23 +0000

Undertaking doctoral research in India is changing and arguably becoming more difficult. Aanchal Seth and Isha Lakhanpuria outline how funding changes in favour of “technological interfaces” for the humanities and … Continued

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