Research assessment is the dull sounding, but vital missing element from true recognition for RSEs

Simon Hettrick

5 September 2023 - RSECon 23, Swansea -  @sjh5000     ORCID: 0000-0002-6809-5195

...no, really

"UK HEIs must embrace the REF’s invitation to improve research culture"

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/uk-heis-must-embrace-refs-invitation-improve-research-culture

What is an RSE?

 

(A vital-but-unrecognised role)

How were RSEs acknowledged in papers in 2022?

RSE Survey 2022: https://softwaresaved.github.io/international-survey-2022/section/publications-and-citations/#world

Photo by Niilo Isotalo on Unsplash

Is there more to life than publications?

Research

Software

Engineers

We need to assess the success of roles based on the work they do

How is research assessed?

Not publications

144 kg

Publications

6,000kg

Software - 350 g

Recognising all research outputs and every role that makes research possible

 

www.hidden-ref.org

  • Training materials and courses
  • Grimpact
  • Citizen science
  • Enabling access to facilities
  • Community building
  • Standards

New categories

The Hidden Role

CC-BY William Murphy 

120 submissions in total

It's more than just a a campaign

If we don't recognise the people who are vital to research,

we limit our ability to conduct research

  1. Ask your line manager about your/your group's role in the next REF

  2. Find out who in your school/faculty/university is dealing with the REF submission and ask them the same

  3. Raise the change to the REF with as many vital-but-unrecognised people as you know

Call to arms 

https://hidden-ref.org/festival-of-hidden-ref/

21 September 2023, Bristol

Thank you!

@sjh5000

ORCID: 0000-0002-6809-5195, EPSRC Grant no: EP/S021779/1

Licence

 © Simon Hettrick

Unless stated otherwise on following slide, these slides are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Slides

https://bit.ly/rsecon23_ra