What do young people say about bullying?
Explore research that listens directly to children and young people, including their experiences, ideas, definitions and recommendations.
RESEARCH LIBRARY
Explore research into bullying
Bullying has been studied in many different ways, in different places, with different groups of people and using different definitions.
This library brings that research together so that teachers, young people, parents, researchers and anyone interested in bullying can explore what has been learned, where researchers disagree, and where important questions remain.
The library includes research from the UK and around the world and is continually being expanded as new material is identified, checked and added.
FREE ACCESS
Most of the research can be read in full for free
We have made free access a priority.
Most of the research in the library has a legitimate route to the complete study without payment.
Look for the ✓ Free full text label as you search.
We have also introduced an Author's Free Pass for research that may normally sit behind a publisher restriction but where the author has made a complete version freely available.
We check these routes before giving them a Free Pass.
✓ Free full text
Recent and historical research is included, along with academic papers, reports, theses and other substantial studies.
Inclusion in the library does not mean that we agree with every conclusion. The aim is to make useful research easier to find, read, compare and question.
SEARCH
Search the Research Library
What are you looking for?
Research results
EXPLORE BY QUESTION
Not sure what to search for?
You do not need to know the name of a researcher or an academic term. Start with a question.
Does anti bullying work?
Explore evaluations, interventions, programmes and research asking what changes bullying and what may not.
What happens over time?
Explore longitudinal research following people, schools or communities over several years.
What do we know about SEND and disability?
Explore research involving disabled children and young people, special educational needs, inclusion and related experiences of bullying.
How does bullying differ around the world?
Explore research from different countries, cultures and communities and consider whether the same behaviour is always understood in the same way.
What do power and belonging have to do with bullying?
Explore research into power, status, hierarchy, exclusion, group behaviour, identity and belonging.
ACCESS
Free access is part of the library
Research is much less useful if people cannot actually read it.
For every record, we try to establish whether a legitimate complete version is freely available.
Most of the research in the library can currently be accessed in full without payment.
✓ Free full text
This means we have checked that there is a legitimate route where the complete research can be read without payment.
The link might lead to a journal, university repository, research organisation, government site or another legitimate source.
Author's Free Pass
Sometimes the publisher's version of a paper is restricted, but the researcher has made a complete version available themselves.
When we can verify that this is the complete study, we mark the record Author's Free Pass.
This means you can still read the complete research for free even though the usual publisher route may require payment or institutional access.
Restricted
We have not found a legitimate free route to the complete research.
You may still be able to see an abstract, summary or publication information.
If a legitimate free version becomes available later, we can update the record.
CURATION
How we curate the library
This is a curated research library, not a list designed to make every study agree.
We include research from different periods, countries, disciplines and traditions because understanding bullying means looking at differences as well as similarities.
Older research is not automatically removed simply because newer research exists. It can help us see how definitions, ideas and approaches have changed.
Where studies reach different conclusions, we do not try to hide the disagreement.
Where possible, each record includes information about:
A note about the records
Not every research record represents a completely separate project or a different group of participants.
Some papers come from the same research programme, project, dataset or group of participants. Where we know that records are connected, we identify those relationships.
This matters when comparing evidence. Several papers do not necessarily represent several independent studies.
BROWSE
Browse the whole Research Library
If you would rather explore than search, you can browse the full collection.
Sort by newest first, oldest first, author, title, or country or region.
A GROWING LIBRARY
A growing library
Research is never finished, and neither is this library.
New work is published. Older work becomes freely available. Links change. New questions emerge.
The Research Library is continually being expanded and reviewed, while older material is retained where it still helps us understand how thinking about bullying has developed.
If you find a broken research link or know of a legitimate free full text version of something currently marked Restricted, please let us know.
SUGGEST RESEARCH
Suggest research for the library
Know of a paper, report, thesis or substantial piece of research that you think should be included?
We welcome suggestions, particularly research that brings a different perspective, explores an under represented area or helps people understand bullying in a new way.
To be considered for the library, the complete research must be available through a legitimate free access route.
You can suggest research by sending us the title of the research, author or authors, year if known, a link to the complete research, and a brief note about why you think it may be useful.
We will check the research and the free access route before deciding whether to add it to the library.
Suggesting research does not guarantee inclusion.
EXPLORE MORE
Explore more
Practical ResourcesIdeas and materials for putting research and anti bullying thinking into practice.
Explore by QuestionStart with a question rather than a research paper.
Previous Anti Bullying Week ThemesExplore themes from previous years and the ideas and research connected with them.
Latest AdditionsSee what has recently been added to the library.