Goldsmiths research confirmed as internationally excellent and world leading

Almost three quarters of research at Goldsmiths, University of London has been rated as ‘world leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3*) by the Research Excellence Framework.

The Department of Media and Communications was rated in the top three in the UK for 3 and 4* research, which includes influential studies of media reform, internet governance and the creative economy. The Department of Anthropology was rated in the top five on the same measure.

Research across the full range of our departments was recognised as having powerful impact, with Anthropology, Computing, Media and Communications, Music and Psychology achieving 100% at either 3 or 4*.

For environment, eighty per cent of our departments were rated wholly at 3 and 4*, which reflects the vibrancy of our staff and postgraduate community. Goldsmiths offers a unique environment for research and research-based teaching, securing participation in four Doctoral Training Centres and a record amount of research income in the last few years. 

Commenting on the results, Patrick Loughrey, Warden of Goldsmiths, said: 

"Goldsmiths has a proud tradition of being a place where research and teaching fuses together, providing a stimulating environment for learning, researching and innovating. We’re delighted that this has been reflected in an increase in the volume of world leading and internationally excellent research."

He added: "The high ratings for impact in many of our departments reflects the societal relevance of our research. From influencing debates on media reform, to changing practices in the NHS or encouraging community reading, our work breaks ground, influences debate and changes lives."

Our reputation as a research intensive institution is further reinforced when the REF data is viewed in light of the HESA data, which takes account of all research staff. The high proportion of eligible staff submitted illustrates our inclusive research culture and the depth of quality research activity across our departments. Overall, we rank equal 24th for research intensity in the UK.

The Research Excellence Framework replaced the Research Assessment Exercise which last took place in 2008. The Framework introduced a new measurement for impact and asked universities to submit case studies. A selection of Goldsmiths’ case studies can be found here.