Dr. Alex Rushforth

Alex Rushforth is assistant professor at CWTS. He works in the social studies of science, with particular focus on research evaluation. Alex has longstanding interests in the uses of indicators in research and evaluation settings and his current research interests focus on the emergence, implementation and (un)intended effects of reform policies for research assessment.

Alex is currently part of Project TARA (Tools to Advance Research Assessment), an international research collaboration between CWTS, Illinois Institute of Technology and the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (supported by the Arcadia Fund). This work is investigating research assessment reforms and co-developing new tools and resources to inform these efforts. Alex is also a coordinator of the Evaluation & Culture focal area at CWTS.

He will teach the ‘Sociology of Science’ course on the new bachelor programme ‘Science for Sustainable Societies’, beginning 2024.

Publications

Journal publications (9)

• Paul-Hus, A., Desrochers, N., De Rijcke, S., & Rushforth, A.D. (2017). The reward system of science. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 69(5), 478-485. (paper)
• Rushforth, A.D., & De Rijcke, S. (2017). Quality monitoring in transition: The challenge of evaluating translational research programs in academic biomedicine. Science and Public Policy, 44(4), 513-523. (paper)
• De Rijcke, S., Wouters, P., Rushforth, A.D., Franssen, T., & Hammarfelt, B.M.S. (2016). Evaluation practices and effects of indicator use - A literature review. Research Evaluation, 25(2), 161-169. (paper)
• Hammarfelt, B.M.S., De Rijcke, S., & Rushforth, A.D. (2016). Quantified academic selves: The gamification of science through social networking services, : eSM1. Information Research, 21(2). (paper)
• Rushforth, A.D. (2016). What's in a slogan? The meanings of translational science among academic cancer researchers in an English medical school. Nordic Journal of Science and Technology Studies, 4(1), 32-42. (paper)
• Rushforth, A.D., & Weaire, D. (2016). All or nothing? Debating the role of evaluative bibliometrics in the research system. Research Evaluation, 25(2), 230-231. (paper)
• De Rijcke, S., & Rushforth, A.D. (2015). To intervene, or not to intervene, is that the question? On the role of scientometrics in research evaluation. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 66(9), 1954-1958. (paper)
• Rushforth, A.D. (2015). Meeting pragmatism halfway: Making a pragmatic clinical trial protocol. Sociology of Health & Illness, 37(8), 1285-1298. (paper)
• Rushforth, A.D., & De Rijcke, S. (2015). Accounting for impact? The journal impact factor and the making of biomedical research in the Netherlands. Minerva, 53(2), 117-139. (paper)

Conference publications (1)

• Rushforth, A.D., Yegros, A., Mongeon, P., & Van Leeuwen, T.N. (2016). How does ‘undone science’ get funded? A bibliometric analysis linking Rare Diseases publications to national and European funding sources.