Harnessing the Metric Tide (2022)

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‘Harnessing the Metric Tide: indicators, infrastructures and priorities for UK responsible research assessment’ is the follow-up to the original 2015 Metric Tide report, authored by Stephen Curry, Elizabeth Gadd and James Wilsdon and published December 2022. It was commissioned as part of the UK’s Future Research Assessment Programme (FRAP), led by Research England, to assess how far the sector had implemented the 2015 recommendations roughly seven years on.

A separate publication, not a reissue

This is not a second edition of the 2015 report — it is a distinct commissioned review with an overlapping but different author team, published seven years later. For the original report and its five principles of responsible metrics (robustness, humility, transparency, diversity, reflexivity), see the Metric Tide report; this page covers only the 2022 follow-up.

What it found

The review found inconsistent adoption of responsible-metrics principles across UK higher education — recognition was widespread, but consistent implementation in hiring, promotion and internal assessment was not. It was notably skeptical about relying on citation data even in isolation, despite analytical advances since 2015, and reframed indicators as one input among several — alongside expert judgement, narrative case for support, and peer review.

Key recommendations

It called for continued investment in open and transparent indicator infrastructure, and reinforced the case for a coordinated national body promoting responsible-metrics practice, building on the Forum for Responsible Research Metrics that followed the 2015 report.

Relationship to DORA and CoARA

By December 2022, the landscape had grown well beyond the 2015 report’s frame: DORA had been established for a decade, and CoARA had launched that same year as a Europe-wide coalition with formal institutional commitments. The 2022 review situates its UK findings within that broader, more mature international movement.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same report as the 2015 Metric Tide?

No — two separate publications roughly seven years apart, sharing James Wilsdon as an author but otherwise distinct in author team, commissioning body and findings. See the original 2015 report.

When was it published, and by whom?

December 2022, commissioned by Research England as part of the Future Research Assessment Programme.

References

Curry S, Gadd E, Wilsdon J, ‘Harnessing the Metric Tide: indicators, infrastructures and priorities for UK responsible research assessment’, Research England / FRAP, December 2022.

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Metric Tide Review: Harnessing the Metric Tide (2022)