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<DIV>Further to what Andrew Murphie just said about the Science Academy: I just received this (below) via another list.</DIV>
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<DIV>Tseen</DIV>
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<DIV><STRONG>Science Academy welcomes decision to drop ERA journal rankings<BR></STRONG> </DIV>
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<DIV>The Australian Academy of Science welcomed today's decision by the<BR>Government and the Australian Research Council to end the system of<BR>ranking academic journals as A*, A, B and C.<BR>The ranking system was a highly controversial component of the<BR>Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment of university<BR>disciplines.<BR>Science Minister Kim Carr today announced that the rankings system will<BR>end, giving more authority to the panels that examine and assess<BR>research activities undertaken around Australian universities on a<BR>discipline-by-discipline basis.<BR>Australian Academy of Science Secretary for Science Policy Professor Bob<BR>Williamson said the new approach is much more appropriate than<BR>bibliometric assessments of disciplines. <BR>"In our recent submission to the Australian Research Council, the<BR>Australian Academy of Science argued strongly that key areas such as<BR>interdisciplinary research and new research were seriously disadvantaged<BR>by journal ranking," Professor Williamson said. <BR>"This affected not only areas of science and technology, but also<BR>interactions between the sciences and the humanities."<BR>"It has been very distressing to see some universities using<BR>publications in highly ranked journals as the basis for funding,<BR>promotions, and even staff appointments. <BR>"The ranking of a journal as A* does not mean every paper in it is first<BR>rate, and some very good papers may appear in smaller journals. <BR>"People whose work is very relevant to Australian issues rather than<BR>internationally, and those in new fields or collaborating between<BR>several universities, have been particularly disadvantaged."<BR>The Academy's submission to the Australian Research Council (ARC) ERA<BR>consultation process earlier this year urged a move towards the type of<BR>peer-review system announced today. <BR>"We welcomed most features of the ERA, and today's announcement has<BR>removed the single biggest problem," Professor Williamson said.<BR>"The integrity of science relies upon this type of peer review. The<BR>Academy commends Minister Carr for recognising that this process also<BR>should be integral to assessing the quality of Australian research."<BR>The Academy's submission is available at <BR><A href="http://www.science.org.au/reports/documents/era-submission%20.pdf">www.science.org.au/reports/documents/era-submission%20.pdf</A> <BR>Professor Williamson is available for comment until 7:15pm today on 0409<BR>706 255. <BR></DIV>
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