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"Never mind the quality, feel the width…"
9 November 2005
A report setting out a new way of assessing research in universities will be launched at Parliament House today (Wednesday).
Professor Malcolm Gillies, President of CHASS (the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences), said that the report sets out a fairer and more inclusive way to identify the most important and useful research in Australia.
"Research money is scarce, and we want to see funding directed to the best researchers and the ones whose work is going to have the greatest benefit for their community," he said.
He said that researchers across the globe were slowly coming to terms with the fact that the old ways of measuring research were inadequate.
CHASS has devised and tested a unique approach, based on research quality, impact and capability. This is set out in the report, 'Measures of Quality and Impact of Publicly funded Research in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences'.
"For decades, researchers in the humanities, arts and social sciences have endured a funding system based on a model that counted just a few things: how many papers? how much grant money? how many research students?" Professor Gillies said.
"We need a new process which recognises that researchers produce a lot more than academic papers. This includes books, reports to Government, film and performances; things that can make a difference.
"The process also needs to take into account the impact factor. Does the research just gather dust on the bookshelf, or is it being put to work for the community?"
Professor Gillies said that Australia was slow to recognise the quality of its research in the humanities, arts and social sciences, possibly because these disciplines did not generally need elaborate facilities and thus were regarded as 'low-cost'.
"This is despite the fact the Times Higher Education Supplement has identified two Australian universities in the top ten in the world for arts and humanities, and four in the top twenty in the social sciences," he said.
The report will be launched in Room 2S1 in Parliament House at 9.30 am on Wednesday 9 November. Media are invited. Mr Andrew Laming MP will speak.
- For more information, please contact:
- Toss Gascoigne
- Executive Director
- Council of the Humanties, Arts and Social Sciences
- Phone: +61 2 6249 1995
- director@chass.org.au
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