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Science of Science

Journal Article

Opinion: Why Institutional Review Boards Should Have a Role in the Open Science Movement

Institutional review boards are not in sync with shifting research practices performed under the banner of open science.

May 27, 2021
Commentary

Culture, Performance, and Assessment in Research

The unwritten, and often unsaid, concern in the debate about research culture in the UK is an apparent trade-off between excellence in research and a healthy research culture. But the evidence shows that this is a false dichotomy—high-performance research units are built on a strong, inclusive culture and an open and transparent set of values.

May 25, 2021
Commentary

Before Redesigning the REF, a New Survey Could Help in Understanding What Is and Isn’t Working

September's call for more sustainable and agile research funding signaled a renewed push by research-intensive universities in the UK for a funding and assessment system with a lighter touch. Before embarking on a further round of changes, it is important to listen and learn from researchers and managers about what has and has not worked well.

Oct 6, 2020
Journal Article

Evaluation of Initial Progress to Implement Common Metrics Across the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Consortium

Mixed-methods evaluation of the implementation of three Common Metrics and the performance improvement framework by The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Consortium.

Oct 2, 2020
Commentary

The Future of Research Outputs

The changing nature of research outputs has the potential to affect a wide range of organizations and people. A proactive stance could help drive research towards better practices in information storage, sharing and communication, but requires early action and shared goals at a sector level.

May 12, 2020
Commentary

Leading with the Proper Use of Scientific Evidence Is Better Than Hiding Behind It

Evidence only has scientific meaning when it is part of a body of disciplinary knowledge produced by a community of scientists. Leading with scientific evidence, coupled with a wider values framework, may result in better outcomes for all.

May 5, 2020
Research Brief

Evolving the Practice of Evaluating Research-Portfolios

Researchers appraised metrics that medical research entities use to evaluate research portfolios. The work can help organizations select, develop, and revise metrics for their portfolios. This brief summarizes the findings and recommendations.

Nov 12, 2019
Report

Research-Portfolio Performance Metrics: Rapid Review

Researchers reviewed metrics for evaluating research portfolios used by medical research organizations and appraised their characteristics. Organizations can use their results to help select, develop, and revise metrics for research portfolios.

Nov 12, 2019
Commentary

What Is the Future of England's Research and Research Assessment?

Rapid technological developments, changes in public policy, and shifts in the international environment all affect academia. To help understand these effects, RAND researchers asked more than 3,600 academics in England how they expect their research to evolve over the next decade.

Nov 1, 2019
Research Brief

How Army Families Address Life's Challenges

A survey of more than 8,500 Army spouses examining their problem-solving processes found that the most common problems involved work-life balance, military practices and culture, and spouses' own well-being. Spouses most often wanted social support.

Oct 21, 2019
Commentary

Outputs of the Future

Are all types of research outputs of equal value? How do different outputs serve different purposes? Exploring these questions could benefit not only funders and universities, but also result in overall better use of research resources.

Oct 11, 2019
Report

The changing research landscape and reflections on national research assessment in the future

RAND Europe conducted a study to explore current and future changes in the research landscape (shifting environment, rapid technological developments and public policy) and how this may affect the nature of national research assessment (REF).

Oct 3, 2019
Essay

How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities

After Superstorm Sandy, residents of Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood cleaned up debris, pumped out basements, and teamed up with researchers to find out what was in the floodwater. They established safety protocols to help local businesses prevent their chemicals from escaping and wrote a guide to help other communities.

Aug 29, 2019
Periodical

RAND Review: September-October 2019

This issue spotlights a wargame designed for young women interested in national security; ethics in scientific research, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning; and community citizen science.

Aug 26, 2019
Commentary

Measuring Up: How to Ensure Peer Review for Grant Applications Remains Up to the Mark

Expert peer review is considered the gold standard for assessing the validity, significance and originality of research. When it comes to grant applications, however, peer review is not without its shortcomings. Addressing some of the challenges that peer review poses could ensure that the best research receives the financial support it deserves.

Jul 26, 2019
Commentary

Research Rigor Is Undermined by Translating Into Years of Learning

The research field increasingly recognizes that we need metrics that everyone can understand. Translating the result into years of learning has become a popular approach, but this metric has major flaws. There are better options.

Jul 5, 2019
Blog

DMZ Meeting, Students with Disabilities, Iran: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Trump's meeting with Kim Jong Un, supporting students with disabilities, the flawed logic of a proportional response in Iran, and more.

Jul 5, 2019
Report

The Potential of Community Citizen Science

Community citizen science offers unique opportunities to engage the public in science and to enhance civic life. It is used for activities like monitoring ecosystem health and enhancing disaster preparedness. But there are challenges to translating citizen science research into action.

Jun 18, 2019
Report

Design and development of an evaluation framework for the NHMRC: Review of international practice, overview of NHMRC's data and grant management systems, and an evaluation framework and metrics

The aim of this study is to help NHMRC think about ways to assess and measure the impact of the changes to their restructured grant program in terms of burden, creativity and innovation, and equality of opportunity across career stages.

Jun 17, 2019
Blog

ISIS, Homelessness, India's Election: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what can be done about ISIS detainees, a program that helps reduce homelessness, Modi's reelection in India, and more.

Jun 7, 2019

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RAND Topic:
Science of Science

Topic Synonyms:
Scientometrics