Opinion

The REF may no longer be the only game in town, but it remains a dominant force in UK research. So as the REF 2021 results are released, is it still fit for purpose?

The latest iteration of the UK’s national research audit has fulfilled its aim to identify research quality across the whole system, says David Sweeney

Linking impact to funding is breeding mistrust, apathy and unrest. Researchers must be free to do the work they find most meaningful, says Mark Reed

Research-led teaching is undermined when academics’ research is pushed into areas only obliquely related to students’ interests, says Ian Pace

Politicians’ false claims to be implementing evidence-based policy risk undermining academia’s reputation, says Gary Thomas

Resignations from the Australia India Institute suggest that politicisation of university management is not confined to the mainland, says Mukhtar Ahmad

Thinking in terms of disembodied abilities undermines again well-rounded learning and secure employment, says Gavin Moodie

Progress on widening participation may go into reverse if mounting scepticism about university’s value isn’t addressed, says Zahir Irani

Pursuing research relevance is important, but the risk is that it becomes a form of deference, co-option and control, says Matthew Flinders

The complexity of tackling major social challenges makes universities a natural launchpad for firms aimed at doing so, says Tanya Filer

Higher education is key to reassessing who we are as a nation and why we’re tolerating such extreme division and deception, says Vincent Rougeau

Covid vaccine successes notwithstanding, researchers should remain wary of corporate capture, says Tahir Shah 

As a major publisher and information provider, Elsevier embraces its role in promoting diversity, say Ylann Schemm and Holly Falk-Krzesinski

Focus on organisational hygiene and you get a nice place to work. Quality and high performance may or may not follow, says Grahame Dowling

While those new to commercialising research often obsess about owning IP, seasoned unicorn breeders find a more relaxed approach is most effective

A mixture of privacy concerns and managerialism prevents universities from making good use of their research expertise, says Sunil Mitra Kumar

Building a sustainable society has been a mission of the Japanese institution for almost 150 years, but the task is not yet done. Atsushi Yokota explores its progress to date

Multiple small grants from trusts and charities can lend research projects credibility, opening bigger doors down the line, says Sophia Labadi

Journalists and fact-checkers must be reminded that scientific concepts can be hard to render in language that is both simple and true, says David Sanders

A core principle of the SDGs is to ‘leave no one behind’. Joseph Wong explains how a global alliance based at Toronto is empowering students to lead the charge

Such an approach will help institutions rebuild their covenant with communities, say Robert Griew and Ian Anderson

Merlí: Sapere Aude offers glimpses into academic life that are truly compelling and, at times, disturbing, says David Lunn

If good collegial practice is recognised, shared and rewarded, universities will be more enjoyable places to work, says Rachel Norman

All institutions should set science-based goals. A new project to establish an agreed methodology for higher education globally will help, says Iain Patton

Too many reviewers ignore their duty to independently review materials and instead rely on the candidate’s narrative, says Richard Utz

A congressman’s call for all Russian students to be kicked out of the US was unfair and wrong-headed, says Anna Wise

Growth in competitiveness, employment, incomes and regional attractiveness occurs only when policy is aligned with local need, says Simon Collinson

Discontent about the shortage of university posts and funding will also continue regardless of how people are judged, says Jan Palmowski

The practice is banned in most countries but it remains rife across the region, with universities no exception, says Sabrin Ramadhan

In Sri Lanka, an increase in the number of clerical staff has been accompanied by a downturn in quality, says Chani Imbulgoda

Singaporean students are focused on grades, but their skills and attitudes are just as important for their success, says Thanusha Raj

Systems have the data to track students, the leverage to facilitate collaboration and the authority to create transfer policies, says Nancy L Zimpher

War has helped to fan inflation and wither universities’ resources. With scant prospect of let-up, all eyes are watching the horizon for hopeful signs

In developing nations deemed too rich for fee waivers, subscription journals are the only publishing option, say three Brazilian scientists

After years of resisting university managers determined to graduate students at all costs, one US professor decided it was time to quit

If authors had to find the money themselves, they would have a big incentive to check their sources thoroughly, says James Stacey Taylor

New programmes must dovetail with higher technical qualifications and higher apprenticeships, says Graham Baldwin

Links to journals’ genuine websites should be added to the government’s database of reputable publishing outlets, says Rameez Mahesar

Mobile phones may distract students, but apps can bring the past alive for students and the public alike, says Fabrizio Nevola

Legitimate concerns about publishers’ grip on the academy will not be addressed if open access debate remains so polarised, says Amy Brand

Only a handful of UK universities maximised their public profiles during the pandemic because press officers were diverted towards internal crises or social media engagement, says Fiona Fox

The ambitious goals of online education cannot be achieved unless universities prioritise student mentoring and pastoral support, says Chandralekha Singh

Labyrinthine university administration is causing unnecessary stress for scholars and students but beware red tape cutbacks, says Maree Martinussen

Accepting industry money risks distorting research and allowing polluting firms to greenwash their reputations, says Zak Coleman

Universities and colleges have such a range of histories, missions and demographics that proposing single solutions is misguided, says Harvey Graff

Some topics are lightning rods for disagreement, but there are ways to insulate yourself against online vitriol, say Kristine Maloney and Teresa Valerio Parrot

Members lack expertise and groupthink is a constant peril. Better to entrust scrutiny to expert lawyers and ethicists, says Adrian Furnham

If universities were mainstream businesses they would be in the category of bloated, oligopolistic conglomerates, says Timothy Devinney

It is doubtful that a management consulting firm could avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater, says Grahame R. Dowling

Unreliable internet connections and underdeveloped pedagogies will blunt the potential impact of online options, says Mukhtar Ahmad 

Complicity of Russian universities in the savage assault on Ukraine must lead to severe punishments, write four Ukrainian academics

The University of Gdańsk is housing hundreds, and expects thousands. But couldn’t the burden be shared more widely, asks Agnieszka Piotrowska

Emilia Şercan has exposed a vast array of senior public officials for plagiarising their theses, writes Július Kravjar

The pandemic underlined the value of international university alliances for sharing problems – and solutions, says David Eastwood

With the future of globalisation in question, are long-debated divisions over institutional autonomy and academic freedom inching closer to reality?

Standard mentoring is not enough if we want a resilient, compassionate and happy research workforce, says Mark Reed

The default mode of human problem-solving is to add complexity. But we must try harder to resist, say Leidy Klotz and Robert Sutton

Universities’ oligarchic control of degree provision and metrics’ misguided focus are shortchanging both students and academics, says Murdoch Gabbay

Mental illness has been depicted as the primary occupational health hazard of UK student life since the 1950s, says Sarah Crook

University educators must not be blind to other life goals – like building a savings account, says Brent Lucia