Comments under Q6, echo a point I have made previously –
that the ‘scope’ for the new Panel (Library, Information
Communication, Culture and Media Studies), should include the definition of
Library and Information Management as it appeared for 2006 RAE (for UoA37) –
that included relevant information systems and information management:
The UOA includes
disciplines concerned with
the management of
information and knowledge
in all formats, namely
librarianship and
information science,
archives and records
management, and
information systems. This may
include: research on the
generation, dissemination
and publication,
exploitation and evaluation of
information and
knowledge; information policy;
the information society;
information media;
information literacy;
systems thinking; systems
development; knowledge
management systems;
information retrieval;
preservation and
conservation; impact
assessment; and historical
and cultural aspects of the disciplines.
(http://www.rae.ac.uk/pubs/2006/01/docs/i37.pdf).
Graham
From: Information and/or Library Studies in the
UK [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Maria Burke
Sent: 14 December 2009 09:24
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Please Read:REF consultation response
Importance: High
Dear All
I am
sending round the UK Assoc of Information Systems Response to the
REF
Proposal. You will see that they are in essence saying that Library and
Information Management should play a "smaller part" as there are only
a few of us.(My interpretation) I consider this to be misleading - I know there
are many of us working in Business Schools but who are still working in the
area of Information Management and still publishing in those journals. If the
Panel changes to become pure IS then IM will have little part to play and
professionally and academically this could be disastrous for us.
Please
respond directly to them (not to me) - they need responses by Wednesday this
week. (I only rec'd this today).
Thank you
Dr Maria E
Burke
Salford
Business School
University
of Salford
UK
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Forwarded
message:
Please see
attached and below. David and Laurence would like thoughts/ replies very quick
and soon since they have to finally submit this on Wednesday.
-----Original
Message-----
From:
Laurence Brooks [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Fri
12/11/2009 11:44 AM
To:
Laurence Brooks
Cc: David
Wainwright
Subject:
UKAIS REF consultation response
Dear UKAIS
member
UKAIS
Proposed Response to the REF Details Proposal (Second Consultation)
Full
Responses due by Wednesday 16th December 2009
The REF
consultation information and full reports can be found at:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2009/ref.htm
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2009/09_38/
UKAIS
Members,
The UKAIS
Board on behalf of the UKAIS members are preparing a response to the latest
Research Excellence Framework (REF) detailed proposals. The full REF proposals
can be referenced in the above links.
We have
prepared a draft response based on what we think are the main issues and
priorities for the next REF exercise - based on the consultation questions
provided from HEFCE. UKAIS are one of many nominating Bodies and learned
associations undertaking this exercise.
Please
email the UKAIS President (Dr David Wainwright) cc the Vice President (Dr
Laurence Brooks) if you have any strong concerns, issues you wish to comment on
and be included in our joint response.
As you can
see - we would like to argue for a much stronger recognition of the Information
Systems Discipline. At the present time - IS researchers may submit to several
units of assessment (as newly constituted in the REF proposals).
The main
candidates are now:
Library,
Information, Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (REF main panel D)
(Formerly,
uoa 37, Library and Information Management; uoa 66, Communication, Cultural and
Media Studies)
or,
Business
and Management Studies (REF main panel C)
(Formerly,
uoa 35, Accountancy and Finance; uoa 36, Business and Management)
Or,
Computer
Science and Informatics (REF main panel B)
(Formerly,
uoa 23, Computer Science and Informatics)
HE
establishments (top down) will make the final decisions concerning researchers
and research groups - and where they will be submitted. It is important that
academics working in the IS discipline are not disadvantaged due to the lack of
a specific assessment area with a panel that has a fair representation in terms
of IS expertise and research knowledge.
It is
rather perverse that IS researchers and those engaged in teaching IS related
programmes and modules - when combined would represent a much larger
constituency than the very few Library and Information Management departments -
yet IS is potentially placed under this UOA. The same argument can also
be made concerning the current and potential impact of IS research within
organisations of all types, sectors as well as society in general.
In terms
of Business and Management - very few Business Schools seem to have distinct IS
departments/divisions - but IS seems to be allocated across the various sub
areas (such as logistics, SCM, e-business, strategy, organisational behaviour,
HR, marketing, finance etc). An IS group can therefore very quickly be
absorbed and end up not having enough distinctive identity or may not have time
to build a cumulative research (impact) track record.
If
Information Systems was recognised explicitly (ideally in both LICCM and
BM) - then IS researchers and research groups can plan accordingly. The
danger is that if this reality is not articulated - then by the time of the
next REF there will be confusion that will penalise IS researchers, the IS
discipline and also by implication the economy and society in general.
As you can
see this is not a new debate - but is becoming fundamentally more important. It
will affect future positioning of IS within universities, the quality of
research output and its impact. The latest news is that the largest IT project
in history (the NHS NPfIT or CfH - projected at about £12 billion) is being
seen as a failure. This could also be mirrored by our lack of cohesion and
policy (within government, universities and as academics) resulting in poor
research and positive impact on the management of ICT development and
socio-technical change.
Please
take time to send your views and responses. We will attempt to reflect these in
the REF consultation document and also we will use this as a new springboard to
argue for much more respect, dignity and recognition for the IS discipline in
the future.
Kind
Regards
David
Wainwright
Dr David
Wainwright, BSc, PhD, MBCS
President
of the UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS)
Reader in
Information Systems
Head of
the Information Management Innovation (IMI) Research Group
School of
Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences
Northumbria
University
Pandon
building
Camden
Street
Newcastle
upon Tyne, NE2 1XE
UK
Tel: +44
(0)191 243 7634
Fax +44
(0) 191 243 7630
Email:
[log in to unmask]
IMI
Research Group
http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/ceis/re/isrc/
UKAIS
http://www.ukais.org