About the valuation system

 

Goal:

To provide researchers and research managers in the social sciences and humanities with a tool to get an integrated overview of research output performance. The tool was specifically developed for researchers in global and development studies, but can be applied throughout the social sciences and humanities.

 

Basics:

  1. Point of departure: a realistic overview of past time input in research and supervision per year (in fte);
  1. and a total list of research output in journals, books, successful PhD supervisions, and other products for academic and non-academic users, organised per year as well;
  1. each product is valued (it gets ‘credits’) on a scale from A (highest) to E (lowest), with extra categories for successful PhD graduations (P), for research reports for third parties (R) and for some other products, like films, working papers, reviews, applications for funding, etc. (O).
  1. Each year a small committee updates the values attached to journals and book publishers and these will be put online: Valuation system 

 

Journals:

There is a differentiation between journals as follows:

A Part of ISI, belonging to the top one-third cited journals in a particular ISI journal category;

B The other ISI journals

C Academic journals with a referee system, but not in ISI

D Other academic and semi-academic journals

E Journals mainly meant to reach non-academic readers 

 

Book publishers

  • Here the A-E categorisation is based on visibility in google scholar. The following rating is used:
  • – A: >500,000 hits
  • – B: 50,000-500,000 hits
  • – C: 1,000-50,000 hits
  • – D: 100-1,000 hits
  • – E: < 100 hits and unclear 

 

Valuation overview: CERES Credits

Category A B C D E
single or multiple authors S M S M S M S M S M
Journal articles 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0.7
Edited book volumes 7 5 6 4 4 2 2 1 1.5 1
Books >300 pp. 18 13 15 11 12 9 8 6 4 3
Books 100-300 pp. 15 10 12 8 9 6 6 4 3 2
Books <100 pp. 12 7 9 5 6 3 4 2 2 1
Book chapters 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0.7 0.7 0.5

Successfully supervised PhD theses,

 

number of supervisors

 

1

 

2

 

3 lead

 

3 other and 4
P 4 2 2 1
Reports >100 pp. 25-100 pp. <25 pp.
(Single or Multiple authors) S M S M S M
R 3 2 2 1 0.5 0.3
O (other activities)

Other categories of activities for which ‘CERES credits’ can be ‘earned’: for book reviews in A, B or C journals: 0.3 credits; for other book reviews (in D journals): 0.1 credits; for scientific film and video productions (with professional distributors): maximum 5 credits; for working papers (often published by own organisations): 0.3 credits; acquired NWO, KNAW or EU funds for a research programme: 1.5 credits; acquired NWO, KNAW or EU funds for a research project: 0.5 credits; Membership of KNAW, NWO organisation (e.g. WOTRO or MAGW Board or programme committee): 1 credit; CERES or graduate school PhD course co-ordination: 0.3 credits; contribution to CERES or graduate school PhD training: 0.1 credits per 10 hours; CERES summer school organisation: 0.5 credits; member of an editorial board of an ISI-rated journal or of a book series published by an A- or B-rated publisher: 0.5 credits; same other journal or book series (C, D, E): 0.3 credits; CERES organisation: Director and Adjunct-Director (0.4 fte) 6 credits; Board Chair 0.5 credits; member of CERES Board 0.2 credits

 

Minimum performance levels

Per full-time equivalent research input a researcher is expected to at least 15 credits for all output together (for ‘total productivity’) and at least 10 credits for A+B+C+P (for ‘academic quality’). One could also formulate a goal that D+E+R+O is at least 5 credits (for ‘societal relevance’).