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«Beyond impact factor, h-Index and university rankings»

Beyond impact factor conference 2018
Image: Valérie Chételat

The last few decades saw an unprecedented growth in the number of scientists and scientific institutions competing for limited resources in terms of employment opportunities and research funding. The ambition to allocate the available means to the best scientists and science favoured the establishment of quantitative metrics to assess the scientific merit of the sheer volume of research output. Impact and citation factors related to journals and publications as well as rankings of institutions are the best-known such tools.

Inadvertently, however, these measurements potentially undermine the quality in science because they incite violations of globally accepted research integrity principles with adverse effects: scientific progress is hampered, the value of science to society and policy-making as trusted and authoritative source is jeopardised, and public research funding is not used effectively.

The international conference held on 21 November 2018 in Bern highlighted the limitations of current metrics in capturing scientific quality, introduced elements of alternative assessment approaches, and considered whether steps are necessary to maintain the high quality of the Swiss science landscape long-term.

Impressions

  • Ellen Hazelkorn with conference moderator Gerd Folkers
  • Ellen Hazelkorn
  • Beyond Impact Factor conference 2018
  • Stephen Curry
  • Martin Reinhart
  • Stephanie Meirmans
  • Beyond Impact Factor conference 2018
  • Michael Ochsner
  • James Wilsdon
  • Sarah De Rijcke
  • Stakeholder roundtable with Matthias Egger, Andrea Schenker-Wicki, Nicole Schaad and Michael Stauffacher
  • Stakeholder roundtable with Matthias Egger, Andrea Schenker-Wicki, Nicole Schaad and Michael Stauffacher
  • Matthias Egger, Andrea Schenker-Wicki and Michael Stauffacher
  • Participants of the Beyond Impact Factor conference 2018
  • Ellen Hazelkorn with conference moderator Gerd FolkersImage: Valérie Chételat1/14
  • Ellen HazelkornImage: Valérie Chételat2/14
  • Beyond Impact Factor conference 2018Image: Valérie Chételat3/14
  • Stephen CurryImage: Valérie Chételat4/14
  • Martin ReinhartImage: Valérie Chételat5/14
  • Stephanie MeirmansImage: Valérie Chételat6/14
  • Beyond Impact Factor conference 2018Image: Valérie Chételat7/14
  • Michael OchsnerImage: Valérie Chételat8/14
  • James WilsdonImage: Valérie Chételat9/14
  • Sarah De RijckeImage: Valérie Chételat10/14
  • Stakeholder roundtable with Matthias Egger, Andrea Schenker-Wicki, Nicole Schaad and Michael StauffacherImage: Valérie Chételat11/14
  • Stakeholder roundtable with Matthias Egger, Andrea Schenker-Wicki, Nicole Schaad and Michael StauffacherImage: Valérie Chételat12/14
  • Matthias Egger, Andrea Schenker-Wicki and Michael StauffacherImage: Valérie Chételat13/14
  • Participants of the Beyond Impact Factor conference 2018Image: Valérie Chételat14/14