Browsing by Author "Darch, Colin"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Are pre-compiled citation indexes of peer-reviewed journals an adequate control for research quality? A case study of library and information science
    (2005) Darch, Colin; Underwood, Peter G
    Looks at the South African Department of Education’s new recommendations for the evaluation of higher education research in South Africa, and examines two primary aspects: the use of pre-compiled journal lists from overseas, and the apparent reliance on peer review as a guarantee of quality. Pointing out that these are tried and tested standards of quality, the authors argue that there are nonetheless disciplinary differences between experimental sciences – such as physics or chemistry – and other disciplines that make these measures difficult to apply across the spectrum. They present an analysis of library and information science publications in the chosen lists and point to the weakness of the selection of titles in this discipline. In addition, there are extra difficulties for scientists from South Africa and the developing world in securing publication in premier international library and information science journals. The authors conclude by calling for the employment of other, additional evaluation measures in an integrated system.
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    The environmental impact of the armed conflict in Southern Mozambique, 1977-1992
    (2003) Pihale, Estêvão; Darch, Colin; Saunders, Christopher
    This dissertation analyses the main environmental problems that were faced during the armed conflict in Mozambique between 1977 to 1992. The subject matter covered by this dissertation is diverse, including the political economy of the Region South of the Save River, the character of armed conflict and the environmental profile on the effects of the conflict in Southern Mozambique. Because when South African regime backed Resistência Nacional Moçambicana (RENAMO) in the early 1980s, the conflict had escalated in Southern Mozambique, and accelerated environmental problems, combined with natural disasters such as floods and droughts.
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    The Research Commons: a new creature in the library?
    (Emerald, 2010) Darch, Colin; de Jager, Karin; Daniels, William
    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use made of the Research Commons during its first year of operation in an attempt to establish whether it actually provides a genuinely new and different service from the point of view of the end‐users, and whether a facility such as this could indeed be presumed to support research and enhance research output at the university. Design/methodology/approach – Using Lippincott's assessment grid, an attempt was made to assess activities in the Research Commons according to the dimensions of extensiveness, efficiency, effectiveness, service quality and usefulness. Methodology was mixed, with quantitative and qualitative components that logged the extent and nature of the use of the various facilities in the Research Commons and sought to establish from stakeholder perceptions whether the services on offer are regarded as substantially different from those in the undergraduate Knowledge Commons and whether they are indeed seen to be supporting research activities. Findings – It was found that a combination of numerical and qualitative measurements has yielded sufficient evidence for the drawing of preliminary conclusions. The evidence gathered demonstrates that the Research Commons, designed primarily as a site for the creation of new knowledge in the form of original writing by researchers at postgraduate and academic level, is indeed an advance on the well‐established "library commons" concept, and that its creation represents an instance of "parallel invention" – the "new creature" that the title refers to. Originality/value – This paper provides a multifaceted perspective on the activities taking place in a new library facility and should provide librarians and researchers with evidence‐based insight into how meaningful research support may be provided to young researchers from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as part of an academic library service in a middle income country.