Mechanisms for Research Culture Change within Higher Education Institutions: METEOR study report

Meta-research has investigated various concerns around ‘research culture’ in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Despite sector-wide efforts to improve institutional cultures, evidence suggests that such initiatives are seldom evaluated. This study explored how meta-research informs decisions affecting research culture within English HEIs, along with the mechanisms which enable or hinder meta-research from impacting decisions. Interviews were conducted with 14 institution-level ‘decision-makers’ from 11 diverse English HEIs, plus 7 meta-researchers in the UK. Data were analysed using deductive content analysis. Participants discussed how research has greatly informed HEI strategic directions to improve research culture. This primarily happened indirectly, brought into decisions by advocates and extrinsic forces. Some institutions have also conducted local research into their own cultures. Nevertheless, innovations to improve research culture are less evidence-based and infrequently evaluated. Participants identified several mechanisms by which meta-research could impact on such decisions. Engagement, consultation, and co-creation could make meta-research more impactful, whereas career stage, prestige, and personal connections could either enable or hinder researchers from achieving impact. Generating sufficiently persuasive evidence to inform impactful decisions was an additional barrier to meta-research impact. Lastly, findings which reflected poorly on institutions or individuals could reduce uptake or sharing of results. This research highlights the need to more rigorously evaluate the impact of research culture reforms. Given the scale of institutional changes, the research encourages sector-wide collaboration and sharing of findings, suggesting ways in which researchers and institutions can seek to maximise the impact of meta-research on research culture.