Berlin University Alliance (BUA) Fellow Elizabeth Gadd understands that the ways in which research, researchers, and research institutions are evaluated and ranked are far from perfect. Narrow, publication-based assessments are perpetuating the ‘publish or perish’ culture and driving distorted incentives and unhelpful behaviors. Her recent work as part of the Fellowship for Advancing Research Quality and Value critically engages with and reflects on these processes, aiming to contribute to a research culture that recognizes and rewards quality and integrity over metrics. A particular focus has been on the upstream effects of the unappointed, unaccountable, commercial university rankings on institutional strategies. Gadd recently presented preliminary results of this research at the Science & Technology Indicators Conference in Antwerp and is set for further exchange on the assessment of research institutions at the ReBound – Research Culture Beyond Boundaries Conference in Berlin on October 12 and 13.

Parallel to the BUA fellowship, Gadd serves as Head of Research Culture & Assessment at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom. Previous roles include Vice Chair of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), of which Berlin University Alliance is a member, and Chair of the Research Evaluation Global Alliance. It was her active involvement in this circle that first brought her into contact with colleagues in Berlin and led her to take on the fellowship. As someone who usually works in professional services in a research university environment, Gadd has used the fellowship as an opportunity to take a scholarly perspective to her daily practice.

One way she has done this is by undertaking an analysis of the extent to which university rankings influence the strategy development of universities in Germany and the United Kingdom. To understand this relationship between rankings and strategy, Gadd lodged a Freedom of Information request to UK universities and ran a survey and workshop with German universities to understand where their strategies or key performance indicators referenced the rankings. She also explored how much universities spend on data and consultancies to understand and improve their rankings. Another key question for Gadd was the extent to which universities perceive their ranking as a matter of commercial interest.

One challenge for this research was that the two national contexts demanded unique approaches for gathering data: “A significant learning for me was the differing approach the two countries take to the Freedom of Information process,” Gadd explains. “In the UK this is well-publicized and highly standardized. In Germany, it’s a lot more complex and decentralized. In the interests of time, this led to taking two different approaches to the same research questions in each country. This led to some variation in learnings about the two countries.”

It was this line of inquiry which informed her presentation at the conference in Antwerp in September. Early results show that more than half of universities in the UK have, or are likely to have, key performance indicators that relate to university rankings, while far fewer German universities make explicit reference to rankings in their strategies. Although the formal influence of rankings on German institutions might be low, their informal influence is still evident. A similar number of institutions in both the UK and Germany feel unable to share information on their ranking engagement for fear of impeding their commercial interests.

Gadd carried out the fellowship research in association with Jelena Brankovic from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin’s Robert K. Merton Center for Science Studies, but has gone beyond the framework of her fellowship to become an active member of Berlin’s research landscape. “I’ve enjoyed becoming a mentor in the ProFiL mentorship scheme and making life-long friends in the process,” she shares. The ProFiL Program supports high-achieving women researchers pursuing a professorship. Gadd adds that “it has been great to support BUA’s Advancing Research Quality and Value team to think about the Alliance’s own ambitions to improve their practice and assess research responsibly.”

Berlin is a particularly fertile environment for innovations in open science and research culture, Gadd observes: “The commitment [of the Advancing Research Quality team at Berlin University Alliance] to understanding and improving the research environment for the four allied universities and beyond is impressive and a delight to be a part of.” As Gadd’s fellowship with Berlin University Alliance nears its close, the connections gained throughout her activities will carry into the future. One exciting new venture is the establishment of the Research Evaluation Global Alliance (REGA). This was born out of her work with the INORMS Research Evaluation Group and provides new opportunities for the broader global research community to engage with practical efforts to assess research responsibly. “I hope many of my BUA colleagues will join REGA so we can continue this journey together,” Gadd says, eager to maintain her Berlin partnerships for research evaluation reform.