First the tide rushes in. Plants a kiss on the shore… | FOLLOWERS OF THE APOCALYPSE

"I’m genuinely at a loss to describe how good James Wilsdon’s report of the independent review of the role of metrics in research assessment and management (“The Metric Tide“) is. Something that could so easily have been a clunky and breathless paean to the oversold benefits of big data is nuanced, thoughtful and packed with evidence. Read it. Seriously, take it to the beach this summer. It’s that good. It also rings true against every aspect of the academic experience that I am aware of – a real rarity in a culture of reporting primarily with an ear on the likely responses of institutional management. Wilsdon and the review team have a genuine appreciation for the work of researchers, and recognise the lack of easy answers in applying ideas like 'impact' and 'quality' to such a diverse range of activity. Coverage so far has primarily centred on the implications for research metrics in REF-like assessments (the ever eloquent David Colquhoun and Mike Taylor are worth a read, and for the infrastructure implications Rachel Bruce at Jisc has done a lovely summary) but towards the end of the report come two chapters with far-reaching implications that are situated implicitly within some of the more radical strands of critique in contemporary universities ..."