Since the late 1990s, researchers in the Centre for Social Informatics (CSI) have developed a distinctive body of work to reflect a shared interest in socio-technical interaction at different levels of organisation, and at different stages in the system life cycle. They also consider methods to support research in these areas. The Centre provides critical perspectives on, as well as analysis of, ICT trajectories, socio-technical and organisational issues with a focus on:
- Democratic digital engagement
- e-Government
- Information behaviour and practices
- Information and digital literacy
- Information and knowledge management
- Information policy
- The Information Society
- Online communities
- Technology and policy development
- Work-based and organisational learning
The Centre’s research is funded by a variety of bodies including charities e.g. the Carnegie Trust for Scotland; companies; government agencies, e.g. Skills Development Scotland; professional bodies, e.g. the Archives and Records Association (ARA) and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP); and the UK research councils, e.g. Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
In the last UK assessment of research (REF2021) the Centre continued to demonstrate its research excellence. For Unit of Assessment 34, 76% of the Centre’s submission overall was judged as internationally excellent (3*) or world-leading (4*). The components of Impact and Research Environment attracted high scores: Impact 100% at 3* and 4*; Environment 90% at 3* and 4*.