Hello,
In Australia, we have received clear signals from the government that
conferences will become much less relevant in research quality assessment.
Instead, the focus will be on citations of refereed papers in first-rank
journals with high impact factors. (Design Issues is in the citation list,
Design Studies is not).
This impact directly on income for education institutions and cash that is
made available to academics.
I gather this sea-change is a world-wide phenomenon.
Some implications are:
* Funding for attendance to conferences will be significantly restricted,
particularly for anyone under professorial rank who does not have their own
research income stream.
* Conference viability will be reduced.
* Conferences will become less relevant to building the research field
* Conferences will have a biasing effect on the growth of the field because
the networking will comprise a restricted subset of participants that will
exclude many researchers in early/mid career
* Increased conservatism in the field (conferences only with existing
established professors).
* Increased emphasis on well-justified research outcomes rather than
contextual and philosophical discussions.
This might be the time to think twice for those thinking of planning future
design research conferences?
Thoughts?
Terry
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Dr. Terence Love
Curtin Research Fellow, FDRS, AMIMechE
Design-focused Research Group, Design Out Crime Research Group
Key Researcher, Centre for Extended Enterprise and Business Intelligence
Research Associate, Planning and Transport Research Centre
Curtin University, PO Box U1987, Perth,
Western Australia 6845
Mob: 0434 975 848, Fax +61(0)8 9305 7629, [log in to unmask]
Visiting Professor, Member of Scientific Council
UNIDCOM/ IADE, Lisbon, Portugal.
Visiting Research Fellow,
Institute of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development, Management School,
Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK, [log in to unmask]
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