Jump to Content

Frequently asked questions

What is ERA?

ERA or Excellence in Research for Australia was intended to assess research quality within Australia's higher education institutions. Assessments were made using a combination of indicators and expert review by committees comprising experienced, internationally-recognised experts. The Australian Research Council (ARC) is responsible for administering ERA. For more information about ERA see the ARC website.


How was research evaluated?

ERA evaluated research in eight clusters of disciplines. The eight clusters are:

For the purposes of ERA, 'disciplines' were defined as four-digit and two-digit Fields of Research (FoRs) as identified in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC). Disciplines were assessed at both the two-digit and four-digit levels where predefined thresholds for the number of research outputs were exceeded.


What indicators have been used to evaluate research?

The following indicators have been used to evaluate the research reported in each discipline:

1. Indicators of research quality

Research quality was considered on the basis of ranked outlets, citation analysis, ERA peer review, and peer-reviewed Australian and international research income.

2. Indicators of research volume and activity

Research volume and activity was considered on the basis of total research outputs, research income and other research items within the context of the profile of eligible researchers.

3. Indicators of research application

Research application was considered on the basis of research commercialisation income and other applied measures.

4. Indicators of recognition

Research recognition was considered on the basis of a range of esteem measures.


What are 'Ranked Outlets'?

Research outlets (journals and some conference publications) have been ranked by the ARC into quality tiers. The rankings can be found in the ERA Ranked Journal List and Ranked Conference List which is available from the UniSA ERA 2010 page. The lists can also be accessed through the Publication Plus – ERA journal finder tool (staff and student access only).


Who was the citation data supplier for ERA 2010?

Scopus was the citation data supplier for the 2010 ERA process.


What were the reference periods for ERA 2010?

Data Type

Reference Period

Years

Research Outputs

1 January 2003 - 31 December 2008

6

Research Income

1 January 2006 - 31 December 2008

3

Applied Measures

1 January 2006 - 31 December 2008

3

Esteem Measures

1 January 2006 - 31 December 2008

3

Data regarding eligible researchers was not collected for a reference period but based on a single staff census date, which was 31 March 2009.


When will the ERA 2010 outcomes be reported?

The ERA 2010 outcomes will be made public on 31 January 2011.


What is the rating scale for the ERA 2010 evaluation process?

The rating scale for all clusters in the full ERA is:

Rating

Descriptor

5

The Unit of Evaluation profile is characterised by evidence of outstanding performance well above world standard presented by the suite of indicators used for evaluation.

4

The Unit of Evaluation profile is characterised by evidence of performance above world standard presented by the suite of indicators used for evaluation.

3

The Unit of Evaluation profile is characterised by evidence of average performance at world standard presented by the suite of indicators used for evaluation.

2

The Unit of Evaluation profile is characterised by evidence of performance below world standard presented by the suite of indicators used for evaluation.

1

The Unit of Evaluation profile is characterised by evidence of performance well below world standard presented by the suite of indicators used for evaluation.

NA

Not assessed due to low volume. The number of research outputs does not meet the volume threshold standard for evaluation in ERA.

In order to achieve a rating at a particular point on the scale, the majority of the output from a unit of evaluation will normally be expected to meet the standard for that rating point. The term 'world standard' used throughout the scale refers to a quality standard. It does not refer to the nature or geographical scope of particular disciplines, or to the locus of research nor its place of dissemination.


What will ERA mean for UniSA?

UniSA will receive a rating for each disciplines at two and four digit level where the threshold for research outputs was met. FoRs where the threshold was not met will not be evaluated. The ARC will publicly release outcomes of the evaluations for all disciplines, at both an institutional and a national level.

ERA will inform the allocation of the majority of the funding available through the Sustainable Research Excellence Research Block Grant.

The Government will determine how the allocation of other Research Block Grants may be linked to ERA results in consultation with the higher education sector.


How often will ERA occur?

On 25 October 2010, Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR), announced that another round of the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative has been scheduled for 2012.


Further questions?

See also ERA Frequently Asked Questions (ARC website). If you have any further questions please email era@unisa.edu.au

 

top^