LSE Impact Blog

University rankings are designed to stand as objective indicators for students to make informed choices in a higher education marketplace. However, the way students engage with them is rarely examined. Drawing on a study of student vloggers, Jelena Brankovic, Astrid Van den Bossche and Morten Hansen argue student responses reveal a nuanced and critical approach to rankings, that runs against common assumptions of how prospective students use and perceive them. #UniversityRankings #HigherEducation #Students

The IMRaD format (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion) is commonplace in academic writing in the social sciences. Øyunn Syrstad Høydal argues that while it may make research writing more efficient the format ultimately constrains creativity and may even shape the very kinds of studies researchers choose to undertake. #AcademicPublishing #AcademicWriting #SocialScience

Andy Tattersall presents new data on the extent to which UK universities are continuing to engage with X and shifting their activities to alternative social media platforms. #HigherEducation #AcademicSocialMedia #X

Proquest recently announced that it will be changing its business model to move away from print textbooks and monographs, solely to ebooks via a subscription-based model similar to a “Big Deal”. Kevin O’Donovan assesses the causes for this move and its implications for the academic library sector. #ScholComm #AcademicPublishing #Libraries

Innovators are most likely to be men from privileged backgrounds. Xavier Jaravel argues that democratisation and widening of access to innovative careers worldwide is key to boosting long-term growth and addressing today’s economic, environmental and societal challenges. #Innovation #HigherEducation #Inventors (LSE Department of Economics)

Engaged research has inherent risks. Shiwei Chen shares seven insights from the Vital Cities and Citizens initiative in Rotterdam for how researchers and their institutions can undertake responsible engaged research. #EngagedResearch #CoProduction #CivicUniversity

The bibliometric infrastructure of citations has become an inescapable organising feature of academic life. Drawing on a range of evidence of the use and misuse of citations data, Stuart Macdonald argues its ubiquity has rendered authorship a questionable concept in modern scholarship. #ScholComm #AcademicWriting #AcademicPublishing

Donald Trump’s executive actions have to a surprising extent focused on education and knowledge production. Philip Cohen argues beyond their short-term implications, these measures represent a concerted effort to undermine scientific enquiry across all fields of research. #HigherEducation #SocialScience #ResearchCulture

Co-production is invoked as a means of creating research impact, but it is poorly supported by research institutions. In this post, Beth Perry, Catherine Durose and Liz Richardson present the Co-Pro Futures inquiry, which aims to put co-production on a firmer footing in UK higher education. #ResearchMethods #CoProduction #ResearchImpact #REF2029

The #AIActionSummit (hosted by Présidence de la République France 🇫🇷 and co-chaired by India 🇮🇳) is underway in Paris. It brings together Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organisations, private companies, governmental and non-governmental organisations, academics, artists and members of civil society to hold critical discussions around #AI. Acknowledging that this is a #technological revolution that transcends borders, the summit is a global meeting to explore pressing questions around AI as its advancement and implementation accelerate: How can we balance the benefits and risks of AI? Can we take advantage of AI's opportunities while mitigating against its risks? How can we ensure that our freedom and right to privacy is protected? Below, explore a selection of new research from across various blogs at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) relating to the summit's themes, from how AI is transforming work 💼 to its regulation 👨⚖️ its use in education ⌨ and more 👇 🇪🇺 Regulate fast, figure out the details later – the EU’s approach to AI | Gloria González Fuster (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) for LSE European Politics and Policy 👉 https://ow.ly/rBsM50UXBNl 👩🏽💼 AI threatens women’s job market participation | Dr. Anne Theunissen (The Inclusion Initiative) and Lorea Olivieri Novoa for LSE Business Review 👉 https://ow.ly/2LKu50UXBSl 📙 AI – Limits and Prospects of Artificial Intelligence | Scott Timcke Research ICT Africa and The Center for Information, Technology, & Public Life for LSE Review of Books 👉 https://ow.ly/QEBm50UXBQ1 👨🏼🏫 Generative AI is a hinge point for higher education | Mark C. (The University of Manchester) for LSE Impact Blog 👉 https://ow.ly/3wM650UXBOG 🇬🇧 Winners and Losers at the AI Action Summit – who does the UK stand with? | Rachel Coldicutt (Careful Industries) for LSE British Politics and Policy 👉 https://ow.ly/GPiz50UXBSV 💻 Why data protection legislation offers a powerful tool for regulating AI | Dr. Gabriela Zanfir-Fortuna (Future of Privacy Forum) for LSE European Politics and Policy 👉 https://ow.ly/zzIX50UXBMQ 🧩 With autonomous problem-solving, agentic AI will upend what you consider work | Terence Tse, PhD (Hult International Business School) for LSE Business Review 👉 https://ow.ly/NzJW50UXBLq 🚸 Shaping the future of AI in education: a call for a children’s rights-based approach | Ayça Atabey (The University of Edinburgh) for the the Media@LSE blog 👉 https://ow.ly/7zOZ50UXBMm