Research Listings
Explore DRAGON’s latest research, publications, and resources. Our work brings together expertise in linguistics, technology, and safeguarding to better understand and prevent online grooming and child sexual exploitation.
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Academic Publications
Reports, Blueprints & Infographics
News
Academic Publications
Marsh-Rossney, R., Insoll, T., Ovaska, A. K., Vaaranen-Valkonen, N., & Lorenzo-Dus, N. (2026). Hidden Worlds: How Child Sexual Abuse Offenders Portray Themselves in Clear-Web Paedophile Community Interactions and Dark-Web Survey Responses. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 35(5), 614–640. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2026.2681216
Lorenzo-Dus, N. & Mullineux-Morgan, R. (2026). “He started harassing me when i wouldn’t talk to him on facetime”: Girls’ discourse about power, violence and oppression in online grooming. In Maruenda-Bataller, S. and Mercé, L. (eds). Discourse Approaches to Gender-Based Violence. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111348889-008
Themelidis, L., & Lorenzo-Dus, N. (2025). Child-to-child harmful online sexual exchanges: a systematic review of the literature. Safer Communities, 24(3), 265-278.
https://doi.org/10.1108/SC-01-2025-0004
Sabater, C., García-Montes, A., & Lorenzo-Dus, N. (2024). The discursive representation of online grooming in children’s accounts within child help line contexts. ELUA: Estudios de Lingüística. Universidad de Alicante, 41(41), 5-20. https://doi.org/10.14198/elua.23549
Lorenzo-Dus, N., Evans, C., & Mullineux-Morgan, R. (2023). Online Child Sexual Grooming Discourse. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009314626
Lorenzo-Dus, N. (2022). Digital Grooming: Discourses of Manipulation and Cyber-Crime. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190845193.001.0001
Lorenzo-Dus, N. & Kinzel, A. (2021). ” We’ll watch tv and do other stuff“: A corpus assisted discourse study of vague language use in online child sexual grooming.. In M. Fuster-Marquez; J. Santaemilia; C. Gregori-Signes; P. Rodriguez-Abruneiras (Ed.), Exploring Discourse and Ideology through Corpora (pp. 189-210). Peter Lang AG https://doi.org/10.3726/bl17868
Lorenzo-Dus, N., Kinzel, A., & Di Cristofaro, M. (2020). The communicative modus operandi of online child sexual groomers: Recurring patterns in their language use. Journal of Pragmatics, 155, 15-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2019.09.010
Lorenzo-Dus, N., Kinzel, A., Lorenzo-Dus, N., & Kinzel, A. (2019). ‘So is your mom as cute as you?’: Examining patterns of language use in online sexual grooming of children. Journal of Corpora and Discourse Studies, 2(0), 15-39. https://doi.org/10.18573/jcads.31
Lorenzo-Dus, N. & Izura, C. (2017). “ cause ur special ”: Understanding trust and complimenting behaviour in online grooming discourse. Journal of Pragmatics, 112, 68-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2017.01.004
Lorenzo-Dus, N., Izura, C., & Perez-Tattam, R. (2016). Understanding Grooming Discourse in Computer Mediated Environments. Discourse, Context & Media. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2016.02.004
Reports, Blueprints and Infographics
Lorenzo-Dus, Nuria, Evans, Craig, Mullineux-Morgan, Ruth, Perkins, Keighley and Rees, Connor (2024). Developing Resistance Against Grooming Online – Stories Strengthened Safeguards [DRAGON+] Report: Research-evidenced Resource Development to Support Child Safeguarding Practice.
Kelly, N, Lorenzo-Dus, N. (January 2024). How Do Children Communicate With Each Other Online [Project Report]. https://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/Children’s-Online-Communication.pdf
Lorenzo-Dus, N, Mullineux-Morgan, R., Perkins, K., Lacey, S. & Evans, C. (September 2023) Developing and Evaluating DRAGON-Shield [Project Report]. DRAGON-Shield-June-2023-report
Lorenzo-Dus, N., Mullineux-Morgan, R., Perkins, K., Themelidis, L. (December 2023). Child-to-Child Abuse Talk Online [Project Report]. C2CHAT-Final-Report
Lorenzo-Dus, N., Mullineux-Morgan, R., Perkins, K., Themelidis, L. (December 2023). Child-to-Child Abuse Talk Online [Project Blueprint]. C2CHAT-Blueprint
Themelidis, L., Lorenzo-Dus, N and Jain, B. (October 2022) Practitioner views about online harms in India [Project Report]. Practitioner Views about Online Harms in India
Palmer, T, Mullineux-Morgan, R, McDonald, R, Hotham, T, Finney, P (November 2022) Strong at the Broken Places [Project Report]. dragon-shield-leeg-report
Roberts, S. Lorenzo-Dus, N and Meyrick, J (2021) Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation: The Views of Police Officers on Offending Involving Indecent Images of Children – Offending Involving Indecent Images of Children [Project Report]. https://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/Offending-Involving-Indecent-Images-of-Children-(OIIOC)-report.pdf
Lorenzo-Dus, N. Kinzel, A. and Di Cristofaro, M. (2020). The communicative modus operandi on online child sexual groomers [Infographic]. https://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/Infographic1_DRAGON-S-pdf.pdf
News
Swansea University launches DRAGON-Shield – a unique online grooming prevention training platform aimed at child safeguarding practitioners
Wednesday 20th September 2024, Swansea University
Experts reveal vital new insights into using cutting-edge research to keep children safe online
Friday 17th May 2024, Swansea University
Research continues to help protect children online
Monday 6th February 2023, Swansea University
Senedd launch for new film helping to tackle online grooming
Monday 26th September 2022, Swansea University
Experts combine forces to keep children safe online
Friday 12th February 2022, Swansea University
Interested in the understanding and prevention of online child sexual exploitation and abuse?
We’re always open to new partnerships that advance the understanding and prevention of online grooming. Whether you’re a researcher, practitioner, policymaker or organisation working in child protection, we’d love to hear from you.
