Research assessment exercise 2008 (Historical Document)
At the request of the RCN Research Society, Professor Martin Johnson and Professor Hugh McKenna penned the following in 2007 to help submitters. We have left it here for archival purposes. [RCN Research Society - December 2008]
Ten myths about the RAE 2008
Research output
1. High 'impact factor' journals only will be considered.
No, explicitly in the guidance the RAE panel have stated that journal impact factors and citation indexes will not be taken into account. Outputs will be assessed on merit regardless of place of publication.
2. 'Grey literature' (reports and other documents) will not be suitable.
Whilst some grey literature, such as locally produced and internal reports of research may not be subjected to the same standards of peer review as academic journal articles, it will be the actual quality of the research which is assessed, not its format.
3. The same outputs can be counted more than once in a submission to the same Sub Panel.
No; the same outputs can be counted only if they are returned to different sub panels by different co-authors.
4. To be considered internationally excellent, work needs to have overseas partners or be undertaken and published in the international setting.
No. Internationally excellent work is that which would be likely to be considered as such in any country where the issues were relevant. As such work can be local in character, but must attain a level of originality, significance and rigour which makes it comparable to the best work in the field internationally.
5. The RAE is only about empirical papers collecting data from the real world.
This kind of research may play a large part in many submissions, but research work which is theoretical, philosophical, historical or other types will be considered if it meets criteria of significance, originality and rigour.
6. An individual's research outputs all need to be about a particular topic to be considered strong.
Whilst thematic research does demonstrate continuity, many researchers undertake work according to contract or diverse interests, and a portfolio can certainly contain works on different topics and using different methods. It should also be remembered that the quality of each output will be judged and outputs, regardless of commonality of theme will be rated appropriately.
Research income
7. Research funding obtained will be counted
Not necessarily, the emphasis is on funds spent by the census date. If a grant is awarded but not spent, it cannot be counted under the research environment. However, if it is from a prestigious source and not spent by the census date, it can be counted under research esteem.
8. Only research which has been funded by prestige agencies like the Medical Research Council (MRC) is valuable in the RAE.
In fact, research income will play only a supportive role in the overall assessment. Certainly MRC or similar funding is an additional indicator of significance, rigour and originality which panels may choose to take into account. Sources of research funding that has been obtained locally will not necessarily be considered to be lower status, but evidence of the awarding process should be given.
General issues
9. You have to be a nurse or midwife to be considered by the Unit 11 Panel.
No. Whilst the panels in all areas will be mindful of spurious location of large amounts of work from other areas which disturb the equilibrium of a submission, good submissions will often contain work by researchers from disciplines different from, but relevant to, nursing and midwifery and the context in which they practice. For example, statisticians, public health specialists, psychologists, sociologists, biologists, etc.
10. The census date for everything is the 31st October 2007
No, the census date for income and for research student data is the 31st July 2007.
This information has been written by Professor Martin Johnson, Panel Member of Unit 11 Panel, and Professor Hugh McKenna, Panel Chair of Unit 11 Panel.