The humanities may yet survive, if only they can be protected from their current advocates. The articles by Judy Simons and Rick Rylance ("REF pilot: humanities impact is evident and can be measured...
Although the coalition government appears indifferent to everything save the market, it has offered to concede one academic value: to his credit, David Willetts, the universities and science minister...
I was one of the 13,000 academics who signed the University and College Union petition against "impact" last year. As it happens, my department was then selected to take part in the research...
The results of the Higher Education Funding Council for England pilot, showing how the assessment of research's socio-economic impact can be incorporated into the REF, are to be welcomed. It is clear...
We have now heard from both vice-chancellors who served on the Browne Review committee. Aston University's Julia King reassured us of the panel's "independence", but also revealed that it took full...
David Eastwood complains that "much of the debate surrounding Browne has been ideological". It is perhaps to avoid being himself charged with taking an ideological stance that he casts the Browne...
It is ridiculous to have 50 per cent of school-leavers going to university because it means that we get people with below-average aptitude, ability or intelligence doing degrees ("The academy's role...
Nobody, especially not a journal editor, would want to denigrate the contribution made by academics to the process of peer review. But to place a cost on it seems to miss the point ("Pay out then...
For some time now, there have been statements originating from organisations that do not manage major research libraries on the future of those that do ("Time to shelve the book habit", 4 November)....
Brian Bloch claims that "Non-native speakers (of English) are generally unable to write an acceptable level of English for academic purposes" ("Trips and falls of the tongue", 21 October). But what...
I sympathise with Jay Kennedy ("My Dan Brown moment", 4 November). Things could be worse, though: at least he was in the limelight for an important contribution. My "real" work on religious change...
In May 1968 the old order was upturned by marginalised contract lecturers. Today, the proliferation of online courses offers slow-track academics a similar opportunity to seize the scholarly high...
In the academy, the real argument over science and religion is not about God but rather about how social and natural scientists understand people. Martin A. Mills says we must bridge that gap to...
Some academics think the authors of historical fiction peddle myths, exploit their labour and wallow in sentimentality. But could dialogue between the two play a role in promoting public...
Reboot the revolution - Online lecturers, the new barbarians at the gate, are academia’s avant-garde