Research Impact

Research carried out by Oxford's sociologists has tremendous impact on the wider world. While the impact of some research is evident immediately, in other cases it can take years, or even decades, before the true value becomes apparent. 

In 2021, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) judged 63% of Oxford’s sociological research to be 4* – the highest score available, indicating research quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance, and rigour. This result is the highest overall percentage of research judged to be 4* in the UK within this unit of assessment. 87.5% of the Department's research impact was also judged to be 4*.