The Australian Research Council is reviewing its two quality assessment programmes

The ARC has issued a consultation paper for a review of the Excellence for Research in Australia and the Engagement and Impact Assessment schemes.

What is wanted: The paper less discusses than directs people making submissions towards the issues the ARC wants to learn about and the way it wants to be informed.

And that is via a survey form with five responses, plus a comments-space, for a mass of specific questions.

Not that the ARC is in indifferent to issues it has not raised, “you are not limited to the questions posed in this document and additional feedback may be provided in the survey form.” Good-o but the format might cramp the style of lobbies who write long.

Issues to address on ERA: The ARC wants to know about the efficacy of both schemes in general but specifically about how they work. And in granular detail – asking about citation and peer review methodology for ERA and its rating scale. For example, the ARC states universities investing in research has led to more top two ratings, but “some feedback has raised questions about whether the current rating scale can continue to differentiate sufficiently performance at the upper end of the scale.”

And (oh that such wickedness could be) it wants to know about ways to address the possibility of universities gaming the ranking by strategic hires.

And on Engagement and Impact: There are also expansive questions on the new and not universally embraced EI scheme, which give respondents opportunity to support or spray. There are specific ones on how assessments operate and on the impact narratives universities submitted on specific research.

“Feedback indicates that the approach to impact narrative was one of the more challenging EI elements for universities and assessors. … There are also general challenges with the interconnectedness of engagement, impact and pathways to impact and therefore there was some overlap of activities reported in submissions for engagement and approach to impact.”

Why it matters: Deep in the research assessment weeds to be sure and perhaps not top of research office minds in time of plague, with a feared fall in research funding to come. But perhaps these consultations should be. Education Minister Tehan’s coming research policy is going to need some incentive.