Modifying publication practices in response to funding formulas

The reaction of Australian academics to the use of one performance measure, raw publication counts, can be starkly illustrated using data from the Science Citation Index. The mid-1990s saw the first distribution of research funds to Australian universities based on a formula encapsulating a number of performance measures (graduate student numbers or completion rates, research income, and publications). Many universities reinforce the sector-wide signals by allocating the money they receive under these programs back to the departments, or even individuals, who 'earn' them. The reaction of Australians to these signals is entirely predictable their publication output has increased dramatically in the last decade. But as quality is paid scant regard in the measures, there is little incentive to strive for the top journals, and this paper shows that the biggest increase has been in those journals at the lower end of the impact scale.