ASSESSING RESEARCH IMPACT - FEDERAL PEER-REVIEW PRACTICES

This article describes the use of peer review for federal research imp act evaluation. For selected agencies, it covers peer review practices for proposed and existing programs. It shows that nearer-term researc h impacts typically play a more important role in the review outcome t han longer-term impacts; however; they do not have quite the importanc e of team quality, research approach or the research merit. Although a dvanced review processes can improve the efficiency of a review, three of the most important intangible factors for a high-quality peer revi ew are motivation of the review leader and competence and independence of the review team members. Although peer review in its broadest sens e is the most widely used method in research selection, review, and ex post assessment, it has its deficiencies, and there is no single meth od that provides a complete impact evaluation The use of quantitative techniques such as bibliometrics to supplement peer review is an area ripe for exploitation