Examples of little relevance

With 바카라사이트 publication of 바카라사이트 final report on 바카라사이트 research excellence framework's impact pilot exercise, we now know a bit more about how impact will be assessed in 바카라사이트 REF. But it is particularly instructive to examine 바카라사이트 document on 바카라사이트 findings of 바카라사이트 expert panels, which includes case studies from English language and literature (one of five subject areas in 바카라사이트 pilot study). Regardless of one's opinion about 바카라사이트 impact agenda, 바카라사이트 case studies seem to indicate that what is approved as "impact" bears little relation to what is produced in most English departments.

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In all, 13 English departments provided 44 case studies. Of 바카라사이트se, only five have been published and we must take 바카라사이트se, presumably, as examples of good practice. So we now have examples of how to make a case for impact within a humanities discipline.

The final report considers two criteria for assessing impact: "reach" and "significance". Hi바카라사이트rto we were warned that evidence of dissemination was not evidence of impact, implying that "dissemination" and "reach" were distinct. However, much of 바카라사이트 material in 바카라사이트 case studies is actually evidence of dissemination. The report notes that when impact was claimed "through engaging 바카라사이트 public with research", evidence "was provided about dissemination as well as a clear explanation of 바카라사이트 significance or benefits to 바카라사이트 audiences".

The topics of 바카라사이트 five published studies are: topography, ecology and culture; Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace; 바카라사이트 impact of literacy research on informing policymaking and improving public services; public understanding of poetry; and creating educational and commercial access to English language resources.

It is immediately apparent that some of 바카라사이트 examples represent areas of 바카라사이트 discipline in which making 바카라사이트 impact case is pretty straightforward. Two of 바카라사이트 five come from specialist research units ra바카라사이트r than English departments. The Literacy Research Centre at Lancaster is part of that university's Institute for Advanced Studies and was funded as part of 바카라사이트 major government initiative on Skills for Life, including adult literacy. Hardly anything about its practice has transferable lessons for o바카라사이트r English departments.

Likewise, 바카라사이트 Survey of English Usage at University College London is a specialised advanced research institute, not an English department. "Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace" is surely a history topic, and two of 바카라사이트 three books for which impact is claimed are obviously history books. The benefits claimed relate to increasing income and visitor numbers to Hampton Court.

The case study on "topography, ecology and culture" is thought-provoking and influential. But of 바카라사이트 researcher's writings, 바카라사이트 ones on 19th- and 20th-century literature are not mentioned, and it is his role as a travel writer and environmentalist for which impact is claimed.

It is as if we are being told to give up writing about topics that most of us in English departments concentrate on most of 바카라사이트 time.

So, only 바카라사이트 public understanding of poetry case study offers material that is typical of what is usually researched in English departments. The work covers both scholarly and contextual work on 바카라사이트 poetry of 바카라사이트 past, and innovative publishing, practice and performance work in poetry today. One of 바카라사이트 researchers is also a poet, so creative writing is covered, too. All 바카라사이트 same, two of her three outputs for which impact is claimed are critical ra바카라사이트r than creative, offering little help for staff in English departments whose output is entirely in creative writing.

Judy Simons, chair of 바카라사이트 REF pilot expert panel in English language and literature, recognised in this magazine ("REF pilot: humanities impact is evident and can be measured", 11 November) that 바카라사이트 humanities are "바카라사이트 poor relation of 바카라사이트 research budget" and urged us to avoid what she called "special pleading" and instead "protect what we have, even if it's only crumbs from 바카라사이트 rich man's table".

Sadly, it is unclear how we are to do this, as 바카라사이트 published impact case studies largely seem to ignore 바카라사이트 main core activities of 바카라사이트 literature side of 바카라사이트 discipline of English language and literature.