The Controversies and Facts of the Research Assessments in the U.K.
Li Fengliang1, Xie Chenxing2
1. Institute of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; 2. College of Humanities and Social Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695, USA
Abstract：This paper systematically collects the positive and critical comments on the U.K.'s research assessment (especially the latest research assessment, REF)and utilizes actual assessment results to testify the controversial arguments.The paper finds the following facts.Though some institutions with lower tier ranking achieve exceptionally high rankings, traditionally renowned institutions still retain superior rankings;Although there are some loopholes in the assessment rules, which potentially can be used by institutions to “game the system, ”yet they are anticipated to be eliminated in future assessments;The correlation study demonstrates that “impact”factor has negative impact on the assessment of some fundamental disciplines, but the impace is not uprooting.This study suggests that the research assessment in China needs to realize the differences between disciplines and guide the public to focus on the difference in ranking within a certain discipline instead of paying excessive attention to the final rankings.
李锋亮, 谢辰星. 英国科研评估的争议与事实[J]. 中国科技论坛, 2020(8): 159-167.
Li Fengliang, Xie Chenxing. The Controversies and Facts of the Research Assessments in the U.K.. , 2020(8): 159-167.
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