WIREDGOV

A summary of responses to a call for evidence on the use of metrics in research assessment has been published by HEFCE.

Within the call, issued in May 2014, respondents were asked to focus on four key issues: identifying useful metrics for research assessment; how metrics should be used in research assessment; ‘gaming’ and strategic use of metrics; and international perspectives.

In total, 153 submissions were received, and the volume, quality and range of the responses indicate a high level of interest in and engagement with this topic in the higher education sector.

Of those responses whose views it was possible to classify, over half (57 per cent) expressed overall scepticism about the further introduction of metrics into research assessment, just under a fifth were supportive and a quarter were ambivalent.

The responses are available to download from the 'Independent review of the role of metrics in research assessment' web page.

Events and workshops

In addition to the call for evidence, we are running stakeholder workshops to consult and engage with the sector, focused on key topics and issues, including:

• 'In metrics we trust? Prospects and pitfalls of new research’, hosted by the University of Sussex, 7 October
• 'Metrics for all? An equality and diversity workshop’, University of Sheffield, 2 December
• an arts and humanities workshop is planned for January at the University of Warwick
• we are running focus groups to seek insights from Research Excellence Framework panel members in November.

Further information about these events will be available on our web-site.

Outcomes

The independent steering group for the review will deliver a final report on the use of metrics by summer 2015. Their intention is to make recommendations against three time horizons:

• what can higher education institutions do to improve research management now?
• suggestions for the next Research Excellence Framework
• the longer term, including identification of programmes of further work.
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