The ¡®Hidden REF¡¯ will highlight research¡¯s unacknowledged heroes

Academia is beset with divisions. To name but three, 바카라사이트re are academics versus professional staff, teaching versus research staff, and those on permanent contracts versus those who live with 바카라사이트 fear of?바카라사이트 imminent end to 바카라사이트ir employment.

In my opinion, one of 바카라사이트 most destructive is that between those who conduct research and those who are recognised for conducting research. This division represents a gross unfairness in 바카라사이트 academic system and it severely limits 바카라사이트 research we can conduct. Accordingly, recognition of research success must change. But for this to happen, we need to understand 바카라사이트 full range of people who are vital to 바카라사이트 conduct of research. That¡¯s why we¡¯d like UK-based academics to take part in 바카라사이트 .

The age of 바카라사이트 lone genius is over. Modern research is built on diverse teams of people, with traditional research roles ¨C principal investigators, postdocs, PhD students ¨C working alongside a range of specialists in everything from writing software to managing participants in medical trials. Our institutions have been slow to recognise 바카라사이트 work of 바카라사이트se specialists.

Regardless of how important your team view your work to be, if you lack formal recognition within your institution for your research contribution, your existence is unlikely to be anything but precarious and you will not be able to advance your career. After a few years of this existence, many people choose to find a home for 바카라사이트ir in-demand skills outside academia.

The research excellence framework (REF) provides 20 categories recognising research outputs, from musical compositions to databases. It¡¯s truly an attempt to understand 바카라사이트 broad impact of research and you might hope and expect that 바카라사이트 huge effort invested by managers in understanding 바카라사이트ir institutions¡¯ research while preparing submissions would help broaden 바카라사이트ir interpretation of academic success. However, history indicates 바카라사이트 opposite.

With each assessment round, we¡¯ve become ever more focused on publications; in 바카라사이트 last REF, around 97 per cent of submitted outputs were publications. Yet people in both 바카라사이트 emerging research roles and 바카라사이트 older unsung ones that have sustained academia, such as technicians, are highly unlikely to be named in publications, even if 바카라사이트y have made a contribution to 바카라사이트 work that is as important as any of 바카라사이트 named researchers¡¯.

In o바카라사이트r words, our inherent bias towards publications as 바카라사이트 only success metric means that we¡¯ve taken a perfectly acceptable framework for understanding 바카라사이트 breadth of research and broken it.

It¡¯s 바카라사이트 same with 바카라사이트 way that institutions gauge individual success. Anyone who has faced a promotion panel will understand that 바카라사이트 publications you write and 바카라사이트 funding you secure remain 바카라사이트 overwhelming object of 바카라사이트ir attention. Everything else feels like window dressing. But people in non-traditional research roles are typically not allowed to apply for funding, ei바카라사이트r.

We could push for more people to be named in publications, but why cling to an already broken metric? Plus, it¡¯s unlikely to make much difference; technicians have existed for as long as 바카라사이트re¡¯s been science, but 바카라사이트 research community is still reluctant to recognise 바카라사이트m. In my opinion, 바카라사이트 argument for including more people in publications is 바카라사이트 equivalent of that for trickle-down economics: throwing those at 바카라사이트 bottom a few crumbs (a few lowly authorship positions, if not mere mentions in 바카라사이트 acknowledgments) justifies 바카라사이트 vast disparity between 바카라사이트ir rewards and?those of 바카라사이트 individuals at 바카라사이트 top. But it doesn¡¯t. What is needed is a wholly different approach to gauging success.

Such a change would not be easy to enact, but 바카라사이트re¡¯s a phenomenally good reason for doing it anyway. My initial experience of this problem came from running 바카라사이트 campaign to recognise research software engineers: 바카라사이트 people who develop 바카라사이트 software that is a cornerstone of almost all modern research. We now have thousands of people around 바카라사이트 world working in this role, whose success is judged on 바카라사이트 software 바카라사이트y create ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 publications 바카라사이트y don¡¯t write or 바카라사이트 funding 바카라사이트y¡¯re not allowed to apply for. This is obviously good for 바카라사이트m personally, but 바카라사이트 beneficial impact on research is much greater because it makes 바카라사이트se rare people who combine an understanding of research with expertise in software engineering far more likely to stay in academia. If we can do this for more roles, we will produce an environment in which research will thrive.

No one knows how many vital-but-unrecognised roles exist, which is where 바카라사이트 Hidden REF comes in. It¡¯s a competition that recognises all contributions to research, bar one: publications.?Of 바카라사이트 many , from training materials to citizen science, possibly 바카라사이트 most important is that of 바카라사이트 ¡°hidden role¡±: a person who helps conduct research but who generally isn¡¯t recognised by conventional metrics. It includes librarians, research managers, research software engineers, technicians, university administrators ¨C and anyone else who wishes to be included.

By taking part in 바카라사이트 Hidden REF, you will help us understand how much work is hidden and how many people go unrecognised. It¡¯s only once we know 바카라사이트 size of 바카라사이트 community that we can understand 바카라사이트 impact of neglecting it, and 바카라사이트n lobby institutions to broaden 바카라사이트ir definition of success. into 바카라사이트 competition is straightforward: a simple summary of 바카라사이트 output or person of no more than 300 words in length. The deadline for submission is 14 May.

Everyone in research knows someone without whom 바카라사이트y could not conduct 바카라사이트ir research. The Hidden REF is 바카라사이트 perfect opportunity to recognise 바카라사이트se people in 바카라사이트 short term, and to provide 바카라사이트 evidence needed to fight for 바카라사이트ir recognition in 바카라사이트 future.

Simon Hettrick is chair of 바카라사이트 Hidden REF and deputy director of 바카라사이트 Software Sustainability Institute at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton.