Validating and Calibrating Research Assessment Metrics

From: Stevan Harnad <harnad_at_ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:02:29 +0000

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:58:56 +0000 (GMT)
From: Stevan Harnad <harnad -- ecs.soton.ac.uk>
To: SIGMETRICS -- LISTSERV.UTK.EDU
Cc: JISC-REPOSITORIES -- JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Re: RAE/REF research

On Fri, 15 Feb 2008, Bevan, Simon wrote:

> The research undertaken at Cranfield concerning the differences between
> the Research Assessment Exercise and the Research Excellence Framework,
> discussed in the Times Higher this week is available at:
> https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/bitstream/1826/2248/1/Citation%20Counts
> -RAE%20Scores-2008..pdf

This pilot study has some methodological weaknesses.

The remedy for the ostensible problems encountered in this study is for
the panel rankings in the parallel metric/panel RAE 2008 to be analysed
in a full-scale multiple regression study using as rich and diverse
as possible a spectrum of predictive metrics (not just citation
counts!), discipline by discipline. This will reveal which metrics are
most predictive of the panel rankings in each discipline, and it will
initialise their weights, which can then be calibrated, updated and
fine-tuned (as well as augmented with any new metrics) in subsequent
continuous assessment. With Open Access metrics on Open Access research,
this can be done efficiently, globally, and transparently.

Stevan Harnad

Harnad, S. (2007) Open Access Scientometrics and the UK Research
Assessment Exercise. In Proceedings of 11th Annual Meeting of the
International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics 11(1), pp.
27-33, Madrid, Spain. Torres-Salinas, D. and Moed, H. F., Eds.
http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/13804/

Brody, T., Carr, L., Harnad, S. and Swan, A. (2007) Time to Convert to
Metrics. Research Fortnight pp. 17-18.
http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/14329/

Brody, T., Carr, L., Gingras, Y., Hajjem, C., Harnad, S. and Swan, A.
(2007) Incentivizing the Open Access Research Web:
Publication-Archiving, Data-Archiving and Scientometrics. CTWatch
Quarterly 3(3). http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/14418/

Harnad, S., Carr, L., Brody, T. & Oppenheim, C. (2003) Mandated online
RAE CVs Linked to University Eprint Archives:
Improving the UK Research Assessment Exercise whilst making it cheaper
and easier. Ariadne 35.
http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Temp/Ariadne-RAE.htm

Brody, T., Kampa, S., Harnad, S., Carr, L. and Hitchcock, S. (2003)
Digitometric Services for Open Archives Environments. In Proceedings of
European Conference on Digital Libraries 2003, pp. 207-220, Trondheim,
Norway. http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/7503/

Harnad, S. (2003) Measuring and Maximising UK Research Impact. Times
Higher Education Supplement. Friday, June 6 2003
http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/7728/

Harnad, S. (2001) Research access, impact and assessment. Times Higher
Education Supplement 1487: p. 16. http://cogprints.org/1683/

> Simon J. Bevan
> Information Systems Manager
> Cranfield University
> Cranfield
> Bedfordshire
> MK43 0AL
> Email: s.bevan -- cranfield.ac.uk <mailto:s.bevan -- cranfield.ac.uk>
> Tel: +44(0)1234 754445
Received on Fri Feb 15 2008 - 12:08:30 GMT

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