ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 6 – social SCIENCEs
pressive other forms of research dissemination. The challenge here must
be to sustain this impact by enlarging the remit of innovation research
beyond the confines of clusters and technological innovation. The second
research area, around social and urban geographical research, focuses on
uneven development and a broadly conceived political economy of the
city and of urbanisation. This research is also of international standard
and is setting part of the agenda for urban geographical research internationally.
Moreover, this work has shown an extraordinary ability to fuse
together innovative theoretical arguments with socially highly relevant
research themes. These two research clusters are clearly excellent.
The research on cultural and historical landscape research is somewhat
more local/national in scope and dissemination. An effort can be made
here to bring this research more to the attention of an international
academic public with a strategy to support high impact journal publications.
Furthermore, the development geography research activities are
clearly an area in which expansion has taken place recently and that is
beginning to make a major impact. This research needs further consolidation
to become a fourth major pillar of research in the geography
department.
7.5 Collaboration
There is good evidence of significant collaboration across the university
(such as LUCSUS, CIRCLE, with Campus Helsingborg, and with cognate
disciplines across the university). In addition, the leading research
teams have extensive international networks and collaboration.
7.6 Research Activity and Teaching
The Department edits and manages one of the leading human geography
journals (Geografiska Annaler) and under Lund’s management, became
an ISI indexed journal. It has an excellent reputation and a very good citation
(albeit somewhat) uneven impact. Staff members are actively involved
in several leading international journals, research income is excellent, and
the geography department has organised a series of seminal international
academic meetings. The doctoral thesis output is above average given the
size of the unit and the publication record of its PhD students is excellent.
Research income is obtained from a variety of research institutions and
funding sources. There is an excellent relationship between teaching and
research as all research active members take part in teaching too.
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