Redesigning the Model of Book Evaluation in the Polish Performance-based Research Funding System

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to present the key systemic changes in the Polish book evaluation model to focus on the publisher list, as inspired by the Norwegian Model. Design/methodology/approach In this study we reconstruct the framework of the 2010 and 2018 models of book evaluation in Poland within the performance-based research funding system. Findings For almost 20 years the book evaluation system in Poland has been based on the verification of various technical criteria (e.g. length of the book). The new 2018 model is based on the principle of prestige inheritance (a book is worth as much as its publisher is) and is inspired by the publisher list used in the Norwegian Model. In this paper, we argue that this solution may be a more balanced policy instrument than the previous 2010 model in which neither the quality of the publisher nor the quality of the book played any role in the evaluation. Research limitations We work from the framework of the 2018 model of book evaluation specified in the law on higher education and science from 20 July 2018, as implementation acts are not available yet. Practical implications This study may provide a valuable point of reference on how structural reforms in the research evaluation model were implemented on a country level. The results of this study may be interesting to policy makers, stakeholders and researchers focused on science policy. Originality/value This is the very first study that presents the new framework of the Polish research evaluation model and policy instruments for scholarly book evaluation. We describe what motivated policy makers to change the book evaluation model, and what arguments were explicitly raised to argue for the new solution.

Open access at the national level: A comprehensive analysis of publications by Finnish researchers

“…In many countries, universities annually report their complete bibliographic record of peerreviewed publications to the government as part of performance-based research funding systems (PRFS) (Giménez-Toledo, Mañana-Rodríguez, et al, 2017Hicks, 2012;Sı le, Guns, et al, 2017;Sı le, Pölönen, et al, 2018). In Norway, Denmark, Finland, Flanders (Belgium), and Polandcountries that have in some form adapted the so-called Norwegian model of PRFS-the national bibliographic database either substitutes the universities' local Current Research Information Systems (CRIS) or integrates publication data from the local CRIS (Aagaard, 2018;Kulczycki & Korytkowski, 2018;Pölönen, 2018;Sivertsen, 2016aSivertsen, , 2016cSivertsen, , 2017Sivertsen, , 2018a. Comparisons with the comprehensive national publication data have shown that especially in the social sciences and humanities (SSH), WoS and Scopus coverage is seriously lacking, mainly due to the importance of national language and book publishing (Aksnes & Sivertsen, 2019;Giménez-Toledo et al, 2016Kulczycki, Engels, et al, 2018;Kulczycki, Guns, et al, 2020;Ossenblok, Engels, & Sivertsen, 2012;Sivertsen, 2016b;Sivertsen & Larsen, 2012).…”

Performance-based publisher ratings and the visibility/impact of books: Small fish in a big pond, or big fish in a small pond?

“…In Sweden, for example, there is no PRFS, yet many Swedish universities use the Norwegian indicator and publication channel list for their internal evaluation/ assessment/funding procedures (Hammarfelt, Nelhans et al, 2016). Similarly, in Poland, a new model was introduced in 2018 that utilizes publisher lists in a scholar's habilitation procedure (Kulczycki & Korytkowski, 2018). When a candidate presents a book as his or her main achievement, it has to be from a publisher on Poland's new publisher list.…”

National Lists of Scholarly Publication Channels: An Overview and Recommendations for Their Construction and Maintenance

“…Moreover, the Polish Journal Ranking has been complemented with a book publisher list established by experts and the list of conferences based on the DBLP Computer Science Bibliography and the Computing Research and Education Association of Australasia (CORE). Since 2019, the PJR and the book publisher lists are used for funding scientific institutions as well as in promotion procedures (Kulczycki, 2017;Kulczycki & Rozkosz, 2017;Kulczycki & Korytkowski, 2018).…”