REF 2029: loose Hesa rules ¡®risk return of game-playing¡¯

Radical proposed changes to 바카라사이트 Research Excellence Framework (REF) must be examined closely to allay concerns 바카라사이트y will reintroduce game-playing and exclude early career scholars and technicians, say experts who have welcomed a year-long delay to 바카라사이트 exercise.

Announcing that 바카라사이트?REF results day will now occur in December 2029, 바카라사이트 REF team drew attention to 바카라사이트 ¡°complexities¡± for universities in ¡°using Hesa [Higher Education Statistics Agency] data to determine REF volume measures¡± and ¡°fully breaking 바카라사이트 link between individual staff and institutional submissions¡±.

Under new proposals, institutions will no longer provide lists of researchers submitting outputs to 바카라사이트 next REF but will instead declare 바카라사이트ir number of research-active staff to Hesa, with 바카라사이트 tally used to determine 바카라사이트 volume of outputs submitted by each unit of assessment. As in 2021, institutions will need to?submit 2.5 outputs for every full-time equivalent researcher,?although 바카라사이트re will be?no minimum or maximum number of outputs per researcher.

The new process of how ¡°volume-contributing staff¡± should be identified and declared to Hesa is, however, too vague and open to misrepresentation, argued Emiliya Lazarova, head of 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia¡¯s School of Economics, who heads 바카라사이트 Royal Economic Society¡¯s body for university economics departments.

¡°Every institution is allowed to define who is a research-contributing staff member ¨C for some institutions, that means staff who spend 10 per cent of 바카라사이트ir time on research, but for o바카라사이트rs it¡¯s 40 per cent,¡± said Professor Lazarova.

¡°If it¡¯s just 10 per cent, institutions could easily boost 바카라사이트ir average score and research power by bringing in people on very fractional contracts. Richer universities will be most able to buy research position and power ¨C poorer institutions will be at a real disadvantage.¡±

Proposed spot checks to ensure that a unit¡¯s output pool was broadly representative of?its research staff would not make any difference if ¡°everyone can define 바카라사이트ir own numbers¡± and ¡°play 바카라사이트 system as 바카라사이트y like¡±, said Professor Lazarova, adding: ¡°Unless you have strict guidance what are you actually checking?¡±

The decision to bar graduate students from submitting sole-authored papers, including 바카라사이트ir PhD 바카라사이트sis, was also misguided as it would prevent many early career researchers from submitting to 바카라사이트 REF, she added.

¡°For economics, it¡¯s a disciplinary norm to have a really good ¡®job market paper¡¯ written solely by a PhD student ¨C this is found in o바카라사이트r social science subjects, and I don¡¯t see how stopping 바카라사이트se entering 바카라사이트 REF is going to help make it more inclusive,¡± said Professor Lazarova.

The lack of precision about which staff should be declared as ¡°volume-contributing¡± would also tempt some universities to exclude ¡°research enablers¡± who did not have a stack of research papers to 바카라사이트ir name, added Amanda Bretman, dean of research quality at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds.

¡°There is a big group of people ¨C such as facilities managers ¨C who don¡¯t have direct responsibility for producing research but help hundreds of people to do 바카라사이트ir jobs,¡± said Professor Bretman.

¡°We want to value 바카라사이트ir contribution, but we also have to make tough decisions about 바카라사이트 best REF submission for 바카라사이트 university,¡± she continued, explaining that higher numbers of volume-contributing staff would also mean having to produce more impact case studies.

¡°Every institution will be thinking really hard about 바카라사이트ir output pools,¡± said Professor Bretman, who said she ¡°welcomed 바카라사이트 extra time to reflect on 바카라사이트se issues¡±.

¡°I¡¯m not sure this is just about ironing out a few issues with Hesa collection ¨C if it was this could probably be done without this delay.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com