13,798 research outputs found
Advanced interdisciplinary technologies
The following topics are presented in view graph form: (1) breakthrough trust (space research and technology assessment); (2) bionics (technology derivatives from biological systems); (3) biodynamics (modeling of human biomechanical performance based on anatomical data); and (4) tethered atmospheric research probes
Do research assessment exercises raise the returns to publication quality? Evidence from the New Zealand market for academic economists
Many countries have introduced research assessment exercises to help measure and raise the quality of research in their university sector. But there is little empirical evidence on how these exercises, such as the Quality Evaluation of the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) in New Zealand and the recently aborted Research Quality Framework (RQF) in Australia, affect the signals that researchers observe in the academic labour market. Since these assessments aim to raise research quality, individual academics should perceive rising returns to publication quality at the expense of the returns to quantity. Data we collected on the rank and publication records of New Zealand academic economists prior to the introduction of the PBRF and just after the second assessment round are used to estimate the changing returns to the quantity and quality of journal articles
The merits of using citationâbased journal weighting schemes to measure research performance in economics: The case of New Zealand
In this study we test various citationâbased journal weighting schemes, especially those based on the Liebowitz and Palmer methodology, as to their suitability for use in a nationwide research funding model. Using data generated by New Zealandâs academic economists, we compare the performance of departments, and individuals, under each of our selected schemes; and we then proceed to contrast these results with those generated by direct citation counts. Our findings suggest that if all citations are deemed to be of equal value, then schemes based on the Liebowitz and Palmer methodology yield problematic outcomes. We also demonstrate that even between weighting schemes based on a common methodology, major differences are found to exist in departmental and individual outcomes
Research output in New Zealand Economics Departments 2000-2006
This paper considers the research productivity of New Zealand based economics departments over the period 2000 to 2006. It examines journal based research output across departments and individuals using six output measures. We show that Otago and Canterbury performed consistently well over the period, with Otago generally the highest ranked department. The measures used place different emphasis on âqualityâ versus âquantityâ. Which measure is used has a significant influence on the rankings of Auckland, Victoria and Waikato. The controversy surrounding the inclusion of âvisitorsâ and the influence of research stars is considered. Rankings of the leading individual researchers are provided
The excellence in research for Australia Scheme: An evaluation of the draft journal weights for economics
In February 2008, the Australian government announced its intention to develop a new quality and evaluation system for research conducted at the nationâs universities. Although the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) scheme will utilize several measures to evaluate institutional performance, we have chosen to focus on one element only: the assessment of refereed journal article output based on ERAâs own journal weighting scheme. The ERA weighting scheme will undoubtedly shape the reward structure facing university administrators and individual academics.
Our objective is to explore the nature of the ERA weighting scheme for economics, and to demonstrate how it impacts on departmental and individual researcher rankings relative to rankings generated by alternative schemes employed in the economics literature. In order to do so, we utilize data from New Zealandâs economics departments and the draft set of journal weights (DERA) released in August 2008 by ERA officials. Given the similarities between Australia and New Zealand, our findings should have relevance to the Australian scene. As a result, we hope to provide the reader with a better understanding of the type of research activity that influences DERA rankings at both the departmental and individual level
The New Zealand performance based research fund and its impact on publication activity in economics
New Zealandâs academic research assessment scheme, the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF), was launched in 2002 with the stated objective of increasing research quality in the nationâs universities. Evaluation rounds were conducted in 2003, 2006 and 2012. In this paper, we employ 22 different journal weighting schemes to generate output estimates of refereed journal paper and page production over three six year periods (1994-1999; 2000-2005 and 2006-2011). These time periods reflect a pre-PBRF environment, a mixed assessment period, and a pure PBRF research environment, respectively. Our findings indicate that, on average, research productivity, defined in either paper or page terms, has increased since the introduction of the PBRF. However, this outcome is due to a major increase in the quantity of papers and pages produced per capita that has more than off-set a decline in the quality of published outputs since the introduction of the PBRF. In other words, our findings suggest that the PBRF has failed to achieve its stated goal of increasing average research quality, but it has resulted in substantial gains in productivity achieved via large increases in the quantity of refereed journal articles
The merits of using citations to measure research output in economics departments: The New Zealand case
In this paper we explore the merits of utilizing citation counts to measure research output in economics in the context of a nation-wide research evaluation scheme. We selected one such system for study: the New Zealand governmentâs Programme-Based Research Fund (PBRF). Citations were collected for all refereed papers produced by New Zealandâs academic economists over the period 2000 to 2008 using the databases of the ISI/Web of Science and, to a limited extent, Google Scholar. These data allowed us to estimate the time lags in economics between publication of an article and the flow of citations; to demonstrate the impact of alternative definitions of âeconomics-relevantâ journals on citation counts; and to assess the impact of direct citation measures and alternative schemes on departmental and individual performance. Our findings suggest that the time-lags between publication and citing are such that it would be difficult to rely on citations counts to produce a meaningful measure of output in a PBRF-like research evaluation framework, especially one based explicitly on individual assessment
Ranking economics departments in terms of residual productivity: New Zealand economics departments, 2000â2006
This paper considers a new approach for ranking the research productivity of academic departments. Our approach provides rankings in terms of residual research output after controlling for the key characteristics of each departmentâs academic staff. More specifically, we estimate residual research output rankings for all of New Zealandâs economics departments based on their publication performance over the 2000 to 2006 period. We do so after taking into account the following characteristics of each departmentâs academic staff: gender, experience, seniority, academic credentials, and academic rank. The paper concludes with a comparison of rankings generated by the residual research approach with those generated by traditional approaches to research rankings
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The experiences of medical students and junior doctors with dyslexia: a survey study
Little research exists concerning dyslexia in medical education. A qualitative study highlighted issues such as bullying and a lack of support. This project aimed to quantify those findings. An online survey was sent to junior doctors in parts of the United Kingdom. Seventy-five participated. Most (53%) were diagnosed with dyslexia at university / medical school. Most reported that dyslexia impacted upon their self-image (59%) and self-esteem (73%). Nearly half (46%) felt it influenced their career pathway choices within medicine. Participants reported bullying at medical school-from peers (24%), from academic teachers (14%), and from clinical teachers (27%); and also at work-from peers (25%), from academic teachers (13%), and from clinical teachers (23%). 88% reported that foundation schools provided no support, 92% that NHS Trusts provided none, and 90% that their deaneries provided none. The sorts of supports which seemed to be lacking were "psychological" or "pastoral" supports
Evaluating research - Peer review team assessment and journal-based bibliographic measures: New Zealand PBRF research output scores in 2006
This paper concerns the relationship between the assessment of the research of individual academics by peer or expert review teams with a variety of bibliometric schemes based on journal quality weights. Specifically, for a common group of economists from New Zealand departments of economics the relationship between Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) Research Output measures for those submitting new research portfolios in 2006 are compared with evaluations of journal based research over the 2000-2005 assessment period. This comparison identifies the journal weighting schemes that appear most similar to PBRF peer evaluations. The paper provides an indication of the âpower or aggressivenessâ of PBRF evaluations in terms of the weighting given to quality. The implied views of PBRF peer review teams are also useful in assessing common assumptions made in evaluating journal based research
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