Impact? Fwd from THES

[Stephen J Bensman]

Thanks.  Very interesting.  The proper URL for that below is at:

http://www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.aspx?story_id=2023494

It won't work.  Prestige journals and impact factor have become
institutionalzed, and, once something has become institutionalized, the
only way to destroy it is to destroy the institutions.  Many Brit authors
are requesting the impact factor of JASIST once their papers have been
accepted, because they have to give this information to their academic
superiors.  Because of this, Don Kraft has requested me a number of time to
do an impact factor analysis of JASIST, so this information can be given to
them.  The cancer is very deep.  I am beginning to think of billing Wiley
for the service.

If anybody is interested in the latest analysis, please contact me, and I
will forward it to them.  I know that EU and Brit authors are required to
put this in their reports to their academic honchos.

SB




"Quentin L. Burrell" <quentinburrell at MANX.NET>@LISTSERV.UTK.EDU> on
07/22/2005 02:02:54 PM

Please respond to ASIS&T Special Interest Group on Metrics
       <SIGMETRICS at LISTSERV.UTK.EDU>

Sent by:    ASIS&T Special Interest Group on Metrics
       <SIGMETRICS at LISTSERV.UTK.EDU>


To:    SIGMETRICS at LISTSERV.UTK.EDU
cc:     (bcc: Stephen J Bensman/notsjb/LSU)

Subject:    [SIGMETRICS] Impact? Fwd from THES








                                              RAE shifts focus from
                                              prestige journals

                                              Anthea Lipsett and Anna
                                              Fazackerley
                                              Published: 22 July 2005



  Senior academics overseeing the 2008 research assessment exercise have
  urged universities to abandon their obsession with big-name journals
  such as Nature and Science.


  If successful, the move could signal a major culture shift in
  universities where academics are pressured to publish "career grade"
  papers in top-ranking general journals to gain appointments and
  promotions.


  As the 15 main panels and 67 subject sub-panels this week unveiled the
  draft criteria for the 2008 RAE, panel chairs stressed that all types of
  research and journals will be treated equally across all subjects, from
  the sciences to the arts and humanities.


  Sir John Beringer, chair of Panel D, which covers the biological
  sciences, said: "The jolt will come for those (academics) who take the
  mindless approach - 'I have so many publications in journals X and Y,
  therefore I am excellent'. It is terribly important to break the link
  that publishing in a journal such as Nature is necessarily a measure of
  excellence."


  Rama Thirunamachandran, director of research at the Higher Education
  Funding Council for England, said: "It is not all about publishing in
  high-impact journals. It is about ensuring that high-quality research is
  disseminated by whatever means. In some cases that might be a patent
  application, in others conference proceedings."


  But academics were already questioning the practicality of the new
  approach. Ian Haines, chairman of the UK Deans of Science Committee,
  said:


  "It is probably almost impossible to ask each panel to read all the
  information and look at all the publications they are referred to. That
  does open up problems."


  The 2008 RAE, which will determine where billions of pounds in future
  research grants go, will focus solely on research outputs such as
  academic papers rather than individuals, and produce star profiles for
  university departments rather than research ratings as previously.


  Despite greater autonomy given to different subject panels, chairs have
  been keen to emphasise the similarity of their approaches. Most panels
  have said that 70 per cent of final rankings will be based on research
  outputs, 20 per cent on research environmentand 10 per cent on esteem.
  The engineering panel, however, has opted to allocate just 50 per cent
  to research outputs.


  But Sir Bob May, president of the Royal Society, warned against focusing
  solely on the 2008 RAE. "It is important that members of the research
  community do not become so absorbed in preparing for the 2008 RAE that
  they neglect to raise their sights to consider what should happen
  afterwards," he said.


  "If it (a review) does not begin now, there is a danger that we will
  have time only after the 2008 RAE to tinker again with the existing
  system. It is time to stop rearranging the deckchairs and decide whether
  we are on the right ship."


  anthea.lipsett at thes.co.uk





  Dr Quentin L Burrell
  Isle of Man International Business School
  The Nunnery
  Old Castletown Road
  Douglas
  Isle of Man IM2 1QB
  via United Kingdom


  www.ibs.ac.im