Sally initially began in the Humanities, studying English at Cambridge University 1979 – 1982. She then moved to Bristol University to undertake an MA in Medieval English Literature 1350-1400. Another MA, in Librarianship, at Sheffield University followed in 1988-1989, after which she worked in the field of patient information, mainly in the NHS. This included running the Leicestershire Health Information Network for 10 years, a support network for those providing information to the public on health, and several years with the Essex Cancer Network. She also worked for 2 years for Macmillan Cancer Support, supporting and developing information services in a large geographical patch. In 2012 she returned to academia, undertaking an MSc in Health Informatics in the Life Sciences department of UCL, and then moving back to the Information School of Sheffield University to undertake a PhD on online support groups for people with alcohol problems. She is currently in her third year at Sheffield, studying part-time, and expects to submit her thesis in 2019.