Accounting for impact? How the impact factor is shaping research and what this means for knowledge production

Why does the impact factor continue to play such a consequential role in academia? Alex Rushforth and Sarah de Rijcke look at how considerations of the metric enter in from early stages of research planning to the later stages of publication. Even with initiatives against the use of impact factors, scientists themselves will likely err on the side of caution and continue to provide their scores on applications for funding and promotion

Advancing to the next level: the quantified self and the gamification of academic research through social networks

Measurement of performance using digital tools is now commonplace, even in institutional activities such as academic research. The phenomenon of the “quantified self” is particularly evident in academic social networks. Björn Hammarfelt, Sarah de Rijcke, Alex Rushforth, Iris Wallenburg and Roland Bal argue that ResearchGate and similar services represent a “gamification” of research, drawing on features usually associated with online games, like rewards, rankings and levels. This carries obvious dangers, potentially promoting an understanding of the professional self as a product in competition with others. But quantification of the self in this way can also be seen as a way of taking control of one’s own (self)-evaluation. A similar pattern may be observed in healthcare and the rise of platforms carrying patient “experience” ratings and direct feedback on clinical performance

Enhanced Photon–Phonon Interaction in WSe2 Acoustic Nanocavities

Acoustic nanocavities (ANCs) with resonance frequencies much above 1 GHz are prospective to be exploited in sensors and quantum operating devices. Nowadays, acoustic nanocavities fabricated from van der Waals (vdW) nanolayers allow them to exhibit resonance frequencies of the breathing acoustic mode up to f ∼ 1 THz and quality factors up to Q ∼ 103. For such high acoustic frequencies, electrical methods fail, and optical techniques are used for the generation and detection of coherent phonons. Here, we study experimentally acoustic nanocavities fabricated from WSe2 layers with thicknesses from 8 up to 130 nm deposited onto silica colloidal crystals. The substrate provides a strong mechanical support for the layers while keeping their acoustic properties the same as in membranes. We concentrate on experimental and theoretical studies of the amplitude of the optically measured acoustic signal from the breathing mode, which is the most important characteristic for acousto-optical devices. We probe the acoustic signal optically with a single wavelength in the vicinity of the exciton resonance and measure the relative changes in the reflectivity induced by coherent phonons up to 3 × 10–4 for f ∼ 100 GHz. We reveal the enhancement of photon–phonon interaction for a wide range of acoustic frequencies and show high sensitivity of the signal amplitude to the photoelastic constants governed by the deformation potential and dielectric function for photon energies near the exciton resonance. We also reveal a resonance in the photoelastic response (we call it photoelastic resonance) in the nanolayers with thickness close to the Bragg condition. The estimates show the capability of acoustic nanocavities with an exciton resonance for operations with high-frequency single phonons at an elevated temperature

3D visualisation techniques for communicating forest change information in Google Earth

Techniques for visualising forest change information using the ‘Google Earth’ online virtual globe were developed as a method of communicating remote sensing analysis to policy-makers and other non-technical audiences. For study areas in Malawi, GIS and RS were used to produce datasets representing areas of change - modelled as either simplified polygons or as a sample of points, which were then stored within a spatial database, and rendered as KML overlays using server-side scripts. Two visualisation methods are explored. The first layers polygons representing areas of forest change over the top of Google's own high-resolution imagery. For each polygon, area attributes are also made available (for example number of hectares deforestation, tonnes of carbon lost...). The second method attempts to replicate small-scale landscape visualisations using simple 3D tree models (COLLADA) placed over areas of forest change (point locations from the data table). Rather than using descriptions, more intuitive techniques are used such as changing tree model colour or using animation sequences to show how forests have disappeared

What’s in a slogan? Translational science and the rhetorical work of cancer researchers in a UK university

Translational science is currently proving a highly influential term in framing how biomedical research is promoted and evaluated in a great number of countries. Although there has been a steady trickle of scholarly literature on the topic, the performative uses effects of the term in practices of academic researchers has been under-researched. Drawing on interviews with members of a cancer laboratory and research institute in a UK research university, the paper analyzes various uses and contexts in which the slogan is deployed. The findings demonstrate the multi-dimensional uses of the term across different levels of the organisation, acting at one level as a managerial function for formulating an ‘impact’ narrative, whilst also fulfilling researcher requirements to satisfy demands made of them in pursuing funding and positions. Analyzing how this specific slogan functions in this site evokes a wider set of considerations about the kinds of rhetoric invoked and increasingly expected of cancer scientists in academic settings.  

Implementing research assessment reforms: Tales from the frontline

The publication of the European Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA) in July 2022 is the latest, perhaps most high profile, attempt to date to steer research systems towards reform of how individuals, proposals and organizations are recognized and rewarded. While calls for reform are internationally-oriented in scope, not all countries, regions and organizations have moved with equal speed or enthusiasm to enact this agenda and there are uncertainties about what such change processes entail. This special session focuses on implementation of reforms within four ‘early adopter’ institutions from the Netherlands and Finland – where a national reform program exists – as well as Denmark and Italy. Speakers in the session have been involved in implementing reforms locally within their own research performing organizations (RPO). We will hear about the process they have gone through, opportunities and frictions they encountered and lessons learnt about resources and infrastructure needed to support such efforts. Being among the first movers in this space, their insights will provide valuable points for discussion, debate and learning for institutions and members of the STI community to engage with ARRA. The hybrid session was chaired by Janne Pölönen (Federation of Finnish Learned Societies) and Alex Rushforth (Leiden University), with a short introduction and Q&A discussion with the audience. Speakers included Sarah de Rijcke (Leiden University), Laura Niemi (University of Turku), Birger Larsen (University of Aalborg) and Francesca di Donato (National Research Council of Italy)

<b>NWB2023_Introducing ReformScape an online tool mapping the global research assessment reform landscape</b>

Over the past decade, international efforts to reform how research is recognized and rewarded in academia have gathered substantial momentum. Animated by concerns that overly-narrow criteria and indicators of research quality are creating unsustainable and unequal career systems and narrowing knowledge production, various reform movements focusing on responsible metrics, research integrity, open research, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have coalesced under the label of Responsible Research Assessment (RRA).Reform of research assessment remains however a challenging process because it impacts established processes, cultures and norms. Despite the growing recognition of the need for change, organisations embarking on reforms may not always be sure where is the best place to start. ReformScape aims to help them overcome that hesitancy. ReformScape is an online tool for exploring how academic research institutions around the world have introduced and implemented new responsible research assessment practices. The tool enables more experienced institutions to share what they are doing with the wider world, while helping other institutions gain an overview of global developments in assessment reform. It’s populated with policies, roadmaps and other documents from hundreds of institutions all over the world covering innovations in academic hiring, promotion and tenure assessments, together with expertly curated insights to help users discover and discuss what’s possible.This poster presentation will introduce ReformScape, describing its origins, the co-creation process behind it, current coverage and scope, and potential for further development. It will provide screenshots of the tool, as well as QR codes linking the NWB audience directly to the tool.</p