The ethics of research excellence

Conroy, J. C. and Smith, R. D. (2017) The ethics of research excellence. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 51(4), pp. 693-708. (doi: 10.1111/1467-9752.12249)

Abstract

We here analyse the ethical dimensions of the UK's ‘Research Excellence Framework’ (REF), the latest (2014) version of an exercise which assesses the quality of university research in the UK every seven or so years. We find many of the common objections to this exercise unfounded, such as that it is excessively expensive by comparison with alternatives such as various metrics, or that it turns on the subjective judgement of the assessors. However there are grounds for concern about the crude language in which for example all relevant scholarship becomes called ‘research’ and publications become ‘outputs’. The focus on the impact of research, which was a new feature of the most recent exercise, is particularly problematic, creating as it does a tendency to what Aristotle called alazony, self-aggrandisement, on the part of academics. We conclude that the REF is a mixed good from an ethical point of view, and that more could be done to mitigate its more unfortunate features.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Conroy, Professor James
• Authors: Conroy, J. C., and Smith, R. D.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education; University Centres > Centre for Internationalisation and Enterprise Research; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Educational Leadership & Policy
• Journal Name: Journal of Philosophy of Education
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0309-8249
• ISSN (Online): 1467-9752
• Published Online: 24 October 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain
• First Published: First published in Journal of Philosophy of Education 51(4): 693-708
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy