The article below has just been published and is on free access until 20 February. Prof. Keyan Tomaselli has requested this free access status from the publisher as it speaks directly to many of the issues that we academic authors have to consider when publishing, in navigating university research reward systems, NRF rating applications, and performance management contracts. In short, university policies are often formulated without sufficient consideration of the issues analysed in this study
Abstract A comparative analysis examines the relevance of journal measurement indices for the Humanities and the Sciences. It explains how different measurements work, what they measure and their impact on the integrity of research, paradigm change and citation levels. The increasing use by university auditors of impact factors as performance management and research output indicators is critically examined with regard to implications for the Humanities. The effect of this neoliberal approach on African-based academic developments is examined, as are the intellectually re-colonising effects of such systems. The article can be accessed here or https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/BDRWMQVUR8CZC3SW2H5I/full?target=10.1080/02560046.2019.1690534 |