The constitutive role of divergent regimes of valuation in biomedical research. 35th EGOS colloquium, Edinburgh

Abstract

In the context of a Dutch university medical center shifting from a largely bibliometrics-based form of performance evaluation, or ‘academic excellence’ valuation regime, towards evaluation based on notions of ‘societal relevance’, this paper presents the findings of an ongoing ethnographic engagement with several biomedical research groups, designed to trace the ways in which variable regimes of valuation can take on a constitutive role in knowledge production processes. Whereas the Journal Impact Factor remains to be a key metric embedded in various research practices, researchers increasingly put effort into making ‘society’ present within their research work as to ensure its societal relevance and make it visible in a context of changing organization and funding infrastructures. The variable forms of this presence have a limited role in the constitution of knowledge, but the time, effort and resources needed to realize them can bear a complex relation to crucial choices and practices of research.