Science evaluation. Trends and heterogeneities in the Argentine university system

Abstract

There is a broad consensus in the literature about the predominance of an evaluation model characterized by a universalist conception of the notion of academic excellence, associated with a productivism measured by the quantity of papers published in high-impact journals, mainly in English. Numerous authors warn that this evaluation paradigm has negative consequences, especially for Latin America, and has been strongly questioned both regionally and globally. Given this scenario, we ask ourselves how the evaluative practice is developed in Argentine national universities, which elements of the international hegemonic model are reproduced, and what particularities it presents. We focus our attention on the evaluation of research projects or proposals across the set of publicly managed national universities based on a national study whose methodology included the application of a survey and interviews with officials responsible for the universities' research areas. Among the findings, we highlight the broad diversity of the university system and the strong role played by institutional autonomy in the definitions of quality and excellence, as well as in the modalities of research evaluation.