Research into RMA special interest group changes name

The Research into RMA special interest group will be from now on known as the Meta Research special interest group (SIG).

The SIG aims to support research management professionals interested in understanding, utilising and contributing to research on the research ecosystem in which they work. It is open to all ARMA members, including those with particular interest in research policy, research strategy, research development, research evaluation, alternative academic (alt-ac) careers, research impact evaluation, and research culture and environment.

Meta-research, or research-on-research, examines the methods, practices, dissemination, and reporting standards of scholarly research to improve quality, efficiency, transparency, and research culture. It draws on a growing evidence base of data on research systems, outputs and higher education institutions.

The SIG Champions, Dr Christopher Daley, Alix Brodie-Wray and Dr Amy Milligan, said: “We are delighted that ARMA have agreed to a name change for the SIG. The last few years have seen meta-research (research about research) emerge as a priority area for funders and government, culminating in the establishment of the Metascience Unit within the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology in 2023. Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs) are a vital part of the meta-research landscape as we routinely collect and curate data on research activity, whilst also being heavily involved in the development of institutional processes and policies in multiple areas including research governance, culture, integrity, security and dissemination. Therefore, RMAs have extensive expertise in the environment which underpins academic research and should be confident in putting themselves forward as meta-researchers in these areas! Our SIG is designed to build RMA confidence in this fast-developing landscape and support the development of RMA-led meta-research projects.”

The SIG will continue to hold 2-3 events each year, as well as curate SIG resources on the ARMA website and facilitate discussions on the SIG JiscMail list. Read more about the Meta Research SIG on its webpage.