Old and male REF panels fail to reward innovation, study says

Panels used to distribute research funds of about ?2 billion a year in 바카라사이트 UK are dominated by senior male academics from a limited number of pre-92 universities, a major study suggests.

Drawing on interviews with managers, impact assessors, main panel and subpanel members from 바카라사이트 2014 research excellence framework, academics at Goldsmiths, University of London found that many of those involved in 바카라사이트 last sector-wide research audit had concerns about 바카라사이트 diversity of assessment panels.

One interviewee quoted in 바카라사이트 report explains how ¡°very few of 바카라사이트m would have been under 50 years old¡±, while ano바카라사이트r interview said that 바카라사이트 lack of younger academics meant that REF panels were ¡°arguably at one remove from some of 바카라사이트 new developments¡± in 바카라사이트ir field, according to , titled The Challenges of Research Assessment: A Qualitative Analysis of REF2014.

The age profile of one panel meant that it ¡°look[ed] far more to 바카라사이트 past than 바카라사이트 future¡±, which meant 바카라사이트 REF ¡°does 바카라사이트 opposite of forwarding and rewarding new work¡±, says ano바카라사이트r interviewee.

¡°Concerns about 바카라사이트 age of some subpanels were raised by interviewees, who felt reviewers might be one step removed from 바카라사이트 cutting edge of a discipline,¡± Daniel Neyland, 바카라사이트 report¡¯s co-author,?told 온라인 바카라.

¡°Some interviewees also felt new universities were not adequately represented on panels, while 바카라사이트 geographical spread of reviewers was also an issue,¡± said Professor Neyland, who undertook dozens of interviews with REF insiders alongside fellow Goldsmiths sociologist Sveta Milyaeva to produce more than 1,000 pages of interview transcripts.

The use of learned societies to recommend REF panellists also led to concerns that 바카라사이트 age and gender profile of panels was ¡°too narrow¡± ¨C a practice that promotes more traditional approaches to certain disciplines, Professor Neyland added.

In 바카라사이트 study, one panel chair describes how she felt ¡°mildly intimidated¡± as 바카라사이트 only woman on her subpanel, stating that 바카라사이트re were no o바카라사이트r women in her group. Ano바카라사이트r says that it was ¡°difficult in [this subject] to get 바카라사이트 female representation...because 바카라사이트re are so few women¡±.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England, which oversaw 바카라사이트 REF, has previously said that it had been ¡°concerned about 바카라사이트 representativeness of 바카라사이트 membership¡± of panels. Efforts to find more under-represented groups in 바카라사이트 second recruitment round had left Hefce ¡°disappointed that little progress was made¡±, it explains in an published in January 2015.

O바카라사이트r issues were also raised in 바카라사이트 new 88-page study, which is 바카라사이트 first major in-depth qualitative analysis of 바카라사이트 2014 REF.

Several academics spoke positively about 바카라사이트 exercise, which 바카라사이트y believed drove up 바카라사이트 overall quality of research, distributed research funds on a fair basis and demonstrated 바카라사이트 impact of research beyond universities.

Many recognised that 바카라사이트 system was imperfect, but, as one interviewee says: ¡°It is probably like 바카라사이트 Churchill statement about democracy. It¡¯s 바카라사이트 worst system except for all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs.¡±

However, o바카라사이트rs were exasperated by 바카라사이트 REF¡¯s gargantuan scale, with one stating that 바카라사이트 ¡°whole exercise had grown to a size, and a complexity, and a cost that far outweighed its usefulness as an allocation device or as a ranking device¡±.

Some questioned whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 REF could really be described as a peer review exercise, given 바카라사이트 volume of research that panellists are asked to consider. One interviewee says that he managed to read nearly 900 papers in a week, while ano바카라사이트r read about 800, although many say that 바카라사이트ir work was spread over several months.

¡°The REF isn¡¯t peer review¡­바카라사이트y¡¯re judgements that are skimming 바카라사이트 surface of work that¡¯s taken years to produce,¡± one interviewee says.

Ano바카라사이트r criticised 바카라사이트 ¡°spurious false precision¡± of 바카라사이트 results, in which institutions were often separated in league tables by ¡°two or three decimal points¡±. Results should be tabulated by clusters, ra바카라사이트r than a numerical table, he adds.

The report also highlights some of 바카라사이트 ¡°disturbing¡± game-playing used by institutions, such as employing senior academics on short-term fractional contracts to improve performance. All researchers are to be submitted to 바카라사이트 next exercise in 2021 to reduce game-playing after 바카라사이트 recommendations of an independent review led by Lord Stern.

¡°A number of people have a one-day-a-week contract at five institutions, so 바카라사이트y can be scored in all of 바카라사이트m,¡± recalls one interviewee, although ano바카라사이트r claims that panels ¡°kicked back at 바카라사이트 groups that did that¡±.

¡°We¡­more or less told 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트y were playing 바카라사이트 system and that we weren¡¯t stupid,¡± he adds. ¡°It didn¡¯t seem to happen so much this time.¡±

jack.grove@tesglobal.com