Meta-Research and Researcher Evaluation

Abstract

Meta-research and research evaluation are very broad subjects, and their interrelationship cannot be adequately covered in a single chapter. Instead, this chapter examines the current state and future directions of meta-research for research evaluation through the lens of the individual researcher: even then, this discussion is necessarily selective, and omission of any topic should not be understood to reflect any lack of importance. This chapter uses the evaluation choices typically faced by the individual researcher to provide an overview of the current and future directions debate within meta-research and its implications for academic evaluation. The present trend towards the quantification of research performance is contentious, and it is not the aim of the contribution to argue for or against this trend, only to acknowledge it and to examine the implications for research on research.

Keywords: Meta-research, research assessment, researcher evaluation, societal impact