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Statistical analysis of ERA and the quality of research in Australian universities

Statistical analysis of ERA and the quality of research in Australian universities The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the Excellence Research in Australia (ERA) process in boosting research quality at Australian universities, this paper presents an analysis of a policy initiative, ERA, and compares the results of its measures as calculated in 2018 with those observed in previous implementation, namely, 2015 and 2012.Design/methodology/approachTwo approaches are implemented in this study; Excellence Index (EI) scores for both cited and peer-reviewed 4 digits FoR codes and citation per paper (CPP) approach for the cited 4 digits FoR codes.FindingsThe authors show that the higher education providers' (HEPs') performance in the cited FoRs in ERA in 2018 was improved by 27% compared to that in 2015, and that HEPs' performance in the cited FoR codes in ERA 2015 was improved by 80% compared to that in 2012. A reason for this visibility of research improvement may be due to the universities are simply getting better at reporting outcomes using ERA-driven criteria. Moreover, even though EI scores steadily increased in ERA rounds, there is no significant statistical evidence available of improvement in research quality between two consecutive ERA rounds.Originality/valueThese findings underpin the importance of more future research and deep analysis using the other complementary variables, like Relative Citation Impact (RCI), citation centiles and distribution of papers based on the centiles and RCI classes and more transparency and data availability from the Australian Research Council (ARC) site. Given the introduction of the Engagement and Impact Assessment by the ARC to accompany the ERA exercise in 2018, the authors expect that the results of these findings will be useful as well as prompting further debate and scholarship to the relevance and value of the ERA process. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education Emerald Publishing

Statistical analysis of ERA and the quality of research in Australian universities

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
2050-7003
DOI
10.1108/jarhe-02-2020-0048
Publisher site
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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the Excellence Research in Australia (ERA) process in boosting research quality at Australian universities, this paper presents an analysis of a policy initiative, ERA, and compares the results of its measures as calculated in 2018 with those observed in previous implementation, namely, 2015 and 2012.Design/methodology/approachTwo approaches are implemented in this study; Excellence Index (EI) scores for both cited and peer-reviewed 4 digits FoR codes and citation per paper (CPP) approach for the cited 4 digits FoR codes.FindingsThe authors show that the higher education providers' (HEPs') performance in the cited FoRs in ERA in 2018 was improved by 27% compared to that in 2015, and that HEPs' performance in the cited FoR codes in ERA 2015 was improved by 80% compared to that in 2012. A reason for this visibility of research improvement may be due to the universities are simply getting better at reporting outcomes using ERA-driven criteria. Moreover, even though EI scores steadily increased in ERA rounds, there is no significant statistical evidence available of improvement in research quality between two consecutive ERA rounds.Originality/valueThese findings underpin the importance of more future research and deep analysis using the other complementary variables, like Relative Citation Impact (RCI), citation centiles and distribution of papers based on the centiles and RCI classes and more transparency and data availability from the Australian Research Council (ARC) site. Given the introduction of the Engagement and Impact Assessment by the ARC to accompany the ERA exercise in 2018, the authors expect that the results of these findings will be useful as well as prompting further debate and scholarship to the relevance and value of the ERA process.

Journal

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 4, 2021

Keywords: Research quality; FoR codes; Citation analysis; Statistical analysis; Evaluation research; Hypothesis testing and academic staff publishing

References

  • Excellence in research in Australia 2010, 2012, and 2015: the rising of the curate's Soufflé?
    Crowe, S.F.; Watt, S.
  • Higher education support Act 2003 - other grants guidelines (research) 2012 (DIISRTE)
  • The process for determining sustainable research excellence (SRE) scheme grant amounts - 2015 allocations
  • Understanding research strategies to improve ERA performance in Australian universities: circumventing secrecy to achieve success
    Diezmann, C.M.
  • Changing boundaries—shifting identities: strategic interventions to enhance the future of educational research in Australia
    Harrison, N.; Bennett, S.; Bennett, D.; Bobis, J.; Chan, P.; Seddon, T.; Shore, S.
  • Assessing political science quality: excellence in research for Australia
    Kellow, A.
  • Assessing the performance of educational research in Australian universities: an alternative perspective
    Perry, L.B.