Department's RAE success

Derek Blundell

Just before Christmas the results of the HEFCE 2008 Research Assessment Exercise were announced nationally, from which we came out very well with a “Quality Index” (QI) of 72.5%. But what is the RAE2008 and what do the numbers and the ratings mean?

Every five years or so since the 1980s attempts have been made to assess, on a national basis and across all subjects, as comprehensively, fairly and objectively as possible, the quality of our research, primarily (in science subjects) based on independently refereed papers published in reputable journals. As time progressed the mechanisms for undertaking the assessment became more sophisticated and the overall results placed Departments in categories – grade 5*, the highest, indicating a Department whose research was acknowledged to be leading edge and dominantly of international standard; grade 5 in which up to 50% of research was of international standard; grade 4 representing research dominantly of national standard with up to 15% of international standard, and so on down to grades 3, 2 and 1. The importance of the RAE was that it set out the Department’s reputation in research and could be used to compare those in the same subject areas across universities or different subjects within an institution. Importantly, it also controls the department's annual baseline funding from HEFCE, which in 2008/09 amounts to £1M. As a brand new Geology Department in the 1980’s we were arbitrarily rated at grade 3 but over the years we worked our way up. In 1997 Head of Department Martin Menzies set out to radically change our staff profile to meet the HEFCE criteria.  A turnover of 33% of the academics had the desired effect in the 2001 RAE when it was rumoured we were top of the level 5 departments. Since 2001 we have waited seven years for the latest, and most definitive assessment.

For RAE2008, each academic discipline was assigned to one of 67 Units of Assessment, for each of which a sub-panel of “experts” was setup, whose members were recognised for their knowledge, experience and integrity within their own academic community. We were assigned to the sub-panel for “Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences” (EES). Prof Mary Fowler was a member on the sub-panel, and its vice-chair. This time round, the assessment was based on a new concept. Instead of pigeonholing each of us within specific grades, the results were presented as a profile of the weighted combination of the quality of (i) the four research outputs (publications) submitted for each academic staff member (65%), (ii) the research environment (20%) and (iii) the esteem of each academic staff member (15%). Together, this shows the proportions of research activity judged to meet certain levels of quality, where 4* is the highest and represents research quality that is world-leading and of the highest standards in terms of originality, significance and rigour. The next level down, 3*, indicates quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality significance and rigour but is just short of the highest standards of excellence.  2* indicates quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour.  1* indicates quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. An overall Quality Index (QI) for the Department was derived from combining the proportions of research output within each of the various quality levels.

Our overall profile is shown opposite: 20% of our Overall grade is at the highest 4* world-leading level, 50% is at 3* level and 30% is at 2* level. Our overall Quality Index is 72.5%.

We can compare our profile with those of the other top-performing EES University Departments in the country in the table below:

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The detailed breakdown into research outputs, research environment and esteem was released by HECE on January 5 2009 and showed that we are held in remarkably high regard. Seven of our staff are considered to be world leading whilst a further 12 are internationally excellent. Thus, more than 3/4 of submitted staff are at the cutting edge of their fields.

Although joint sixth, we are effectively joint fifth amongst the Earth Science Departments, in an elite group, ahead of many well established departments. The results are for England alone, coming within the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and exclude Scotland and Wales.

And we have the highest QI of any Department in the Faculty of Science at RHUL.

Not bad for a 23-year old Department, eh!!

Results for all subjects and universities are online at http://www.rae.ac.uk