Evaluation of academic legal publications in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has seen many developments in the funding of academic research in recent decades. These changes bring with them influential models of evaluation, including the cyclical rating of selected publications, the assessment of case studies of societal and economic impact, and the awarding of an increasingly significant share of the national research budget on the basis of the review of proposals (not just to open calls but to targeted opportunities for research on particular topics). With over 100 institutions now teaching law in the UK, there is significant variation between law schools. Yet there are areas where there is little by way of standardisation, including the policies adopted by journal editors for evaluating submissions, and the assessment of staff for possible promotion to a higher grade. In this chapter, the particular impact of REF and the research councils on the evaluation of legal research, and the interaction between the two models of review, is emphasised.