SENSE Benchmarks for Publication Output, 2007-2013

Dear members of the
SENSE Research School,

I am writing to inform you about the new SENSE Benchmarks for publication output.

As a national research school with international ambition, we need standards to assess the quality of the scientific output of SENSE. Such performance standards are important as a yardstick for the evaluation of the overall progress of the School; as a benchmark for the membership of researchers and institutes in the School; and as a jointly agreed comparative measurement for the 6-year external evaluation of institutes and research departments.

We had developed in 2006 a first set of performance criteria that we used for the 2007 SENSE evaluation. These criteria have met support but also some criticism from our community, and we have decided to adjust the system. Drafts of the (modest) adjustments were circulated to all research group leaders of SENSE, and many comments and suggestions have been incorporated. We are hereby introducing to you the final system of the 'SENSE Benchmarks' that is valid for the period 2007-2013.

A particular challenge in agreeing on these benchmarks is the interdisciplinary character of our Research School. All our disciplines have different publication cultures (for instance, books versus journal articles); different average publication output per year; and different cultures regarding the number of authors or their order. We have taken some of these differences into account, for instance in granting in the new system more points for books and book chapters. However, not all disciplinary differences could be accounted for, and it is thus important to emphasise that these SENSE Benchmarks are in no way meant as a tool for the comparison of publication outputs across disciplines (well within disciplines).

Some other changes are that the new system values publications at A and B levels stronger as publications at C level. We have now also introduced credit points for the successful defence of doctoral dissertations (both for the candidate and, to a lesser degree, for the promoters and co-promoters), and for editors-in-chief of scholarly journals.

After long consultations with many members of the SENSE research school, as well as extended debates in the relevant committees of SENSE, we are confident that the new, adjusted system will serve its important functions in a way that is both more effective and fairer.

Please do not hesitate to contact Johan Feenstra at johan.feenstra@wur.nl for any questions regarding the implementation of this assessment system.

With best regards,

Frank Biermann

General Director SENSE