Research Assessment in the Humanities ― Towards Criteria and Procedures

This book analyzes and discusses the recent developments for measuring research quality in social sciences and the humanities. Research assessments in the humanities are highly controversial and the evaluation of humanities research is delicate. While citation-based research performance indicators are widely used in the natural and life sciences, quantitative measures for research performance meet strong opposition in the humanities. This volume combines the presentation of state-of-the-art projects on research assessments in the humanities by humanities scholars themselves with a description of the evaluation of humanities research in practice presented by research funders. Bibliometric issues concerning humanities research complete the exhaustive analysis of humanities research assessment. The selection of authors is well-balanced between humanities scholars, research funders, and researchers on higher education. Hence, the edited volume succeeds in painting a comprehensive picture of research evaluation in the humanities. This book is valuable to university and science policy makers, university administrators, research evaluators, bibliometricians as well as humanities scholars who seek expert knowledge in research evaluation in the humanities.

Hans-Dieter Daniel holds a dual professorship at ETH Zurich and at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). He is Director of the Evaluation Office of the University of Zurich and full Professor for Social Psychology and Research on Higher Education at ETH Zurich. He was professor for social science research methods at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Kassel (Germany) and director of the International Centre for Higher Education Research Kassel (formerly: Centre for Research on Higher Education and Work).

Michael Ochsner studied Sociology, Social Pedagogy and Environmental Sciences at the University of Zurich from 2003 until 2009. From 2006 to 2009, he was a member of the Library Commission of the Institute of Sociology of the University of Zurich. From 2009 to 2012, he was a doctoral student at the Institute of Sociology of the University of Zurich. His thesis is entitled "Social responsibility of the state? Macro-cultural differentiation of the effect of social welfare on legitimacy of the state."

Sven E. Hug studied German Language and Literature and Psychology at the University of Zurich (UZH) and worked in various companies as a market research analyst. He is working as a project manager at the Evaluation Office at UZH and as a research associate at the Professorship for Social Psychology and Research on Higher Education (ETH Zurich). He is doing research in the fields of "Research Evaluation" and "Student Evaluation of Teaching"; currently, his focus is on constructing valid criteria and indicators for evaluating research performance. Since 2015, Sven E. Hug serves as an expert for the European Reference Index for the Humanities and the Social Sciences (ERIH PLUS).