Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the reference period for ERA 2012?

The reference period for ERA 2012 is 2005-2010.  Research outputs published outside of this six year period will not be included in the ERA submission.

What is the difference between Personal Field of Research codes and Output Field of Research codes?

Personal Field of Research (FoR) codes are chosen to reflect the general area(s) focus of an individual's research (you may choose up to 3).  Output FoRs are chosen to reflect the area(s) of research specific to a research ouput (again you may choose up to 3).  Please note that the Output FoRs do not have to be the same as your Personal FoRs.

How many Field of Research codes can I apply to my work?

You may choose up to three Personal Field of Research codes and up to three Output Field of Research codes.  In each case you must allocate the relevant percentage attributable to each FoR code.

What categories can I apply Field of Research codes to?

Field of Research (FoR) codes can be attributed to all categories. The ARC provide journal based codes but papers in these codes can be re-assigned if 70% of its content is in another field.

Why can't I add myself to a research centre or group?

You may only be added to research centre or group by Georgie Karydis in Research Services. Please send your enquiry to georgie.karydis@newcastle.edu.au.

 

What Cluster am I in?

There is some overlap with some schools being split across more than one cluster; however, the following is a rough guide of the clusters.

For a full breakdown of which disciplines belong in which clusters, the ERA discipline matrix can be viewed here.

  1. Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences - (PCE)
  2. Humanities and Creative Arts - (HCA)
  3. Engineering and Environmental Sciences - (EE)
  4. Education and Human Society - (EHS)
  5. Economics and Commerce - (EC)  
  6. Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences - (MIC)
  7. Biological Sciences and Biotechnology - (BB)
  8. Medical and Health Sciences - (MHS)

 

Who are in the Cluster Advisory Groups?

Cluster 1 (Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences - PCE):

  • Professor John O'Connor - Chair
  • Professor Bruce King
  • Associate Professor Colin Waters
  • Associate Professor Erica Wanless
  • Professor Bill Collins
  • Associate Professor Greg Hancock

Cluster 2 (Humanities & Creative Arts - HCA):

  • Associate Professor Pam Nilan (ADR F.EDUA) - Chair
  • Dr Angela Philp
  • Ms Catherine Oddie
  • Professor Hugh Craig
  • Professor Richard Vella
  • Associate Professor Roger Markwick
  • Mr Jeff McGee
  • Professor Michael Ostwald
  • Associate Professor Graham Brewer
  • Associate Professor Tony Williams

Cluster 3 (Engineering & Environmental Sciences - EE):

  • Professor Brett Ninness - Chair
  • Dr Grant Webber
  • Dr Andrew Abbo
  • Professor Reza Moheimani
  • Professor Erich Kisi
  • Professor Mark Jones
  • Professor Irina Belova

Cluster 4 (Education & Human Society - EHS):

  • Professor John Germov - Chair
  • Associate Professor Jim Jose (ADR F.BL)
  • Professor Mitchell Dean
  • Professor Jim Albright
  • Dr Tom Griffiths
  • Professor Stephen Webb
  • Professor Mel Gray
  • Professor Pauline McGuirk

Cluster 5 (Economics & Commerce - EC):

  • Associate Professor Jim Jose (ADR F.BL) - Chair
  • Dr Frank Agbola
  • Professor Steve Easton
  • Professor Scott Holmes
  • Professor Siggi Gudergan
  • Associate Professor Guilherme Pires
  • Associate Professor Kevin Lyons

Cluster 6 (Mathematics, Information & Communication Sciences - MIC):

  • Professor George Willis - Chair
  • Professor Irene Hudson
  • Associate Professor Wadim Zudilin
  • Associate Professor Frans Henskens
  • Associate Professor Steven Weller
  • Dr Bishnu Lamichhane 

Cluster 7 (Biological Sciences & Biotechnology - BB):

  • Professor Keith Jones - Chair
  • Laureate Professor John Aitken
  • Professor Ray Rose
  • Dr Geoff MacFarlane

Cluster 8 (Medical & Health Sciences - MHS):

  • Professor John Rostas (ADR F.HLTH) - Chair
  • Professor Shu Chuen Li
  • Professor Robin Callister
  • Professor Paul Foster
  • Conjoint Professor Chris Levi
  • Associate Professor Phillip Dickson
  • Associate Professor Ashley Kable
  • Dr Lisa Wood
  • Professor Clare Collins
  • Conjoint Associate Professor Xu Dong Zhang
  • Professor Rodney Scott
  • Professor Eileen McLaughlin
  • Professor Derek Smith
  • Professor Cate D'Este
  • Professor John Attia
  • Emeritus Professor Pat Michie
  • Professor Andrew Heathcote

 

Who are the ERA contacts in my Faculty?

Business & Law:

  • ADR - Associate Professor Jim Jose 
  • R&RTO - Kerri Foulds

Education & Arts:

  • ADR - Associate Professor Pam Nilan
  • R&RTO - Kerrie Carmichael

Engineering & Built Environment:

  • ADR - Professor Brett Ninness
  • R&RTO - Chanel Hopkinson

Health:

  • ADR - Professor John Rostas
  • R&RTO - Shirley Savy

Science & IT:

  • ADR - Dr Deborah Hodgson
  • R&RTO - Lina Bozinovska

 

What categories will be assessed for ERA 2012?

  • Refereed book - (A1)
  • Chapter in a refereed book - (B1)
  • Refereed journal article - (C1)
  • Refereed conference article - (E1)
  • Minor written or recorded work, exhibitions - (F1)
  • Catalogue - (F2)
  • Representation of original art - (F3)
  • Refereed designs - (H1)
  • Published creative work - (J1)
  • Recorded creative work - (J2)
  • Exhibitions - (J3)
 

What is the ERA Peer Review process?

For those clusters that do not have a citation count as the measurement tool for research quality, a peer review process has been developed for the ERA assessment.  For each discipline (4-digit FoRs code) 30 percent of the research outputs will be put forward for peer review by assessors assigned by the ARC.

How do I check the the university has a complete record of my Research Outputs?

If you log into RPM, you can view your UoN affiliated and non affiliated research outputs,you may also like to view your Researcher Profile on the UoN Web Site. If the record is incomplete, please contact rps@newcastle.edu.au.

How do I nominate my best work?

Once logged in to RPM, search your publications and choose which publication you would like to nominate as one of your best works. Click on the publication and select the box titled "Is this one of your Best outputs". Be sure to save the page before exiting.  You may choose up to 10 outputs as your best work.

Why am I being asked to send evidence to the Auchmuty Library for the purposes of ERA?

As part of the ERA process, the NOVA team will need to load a copy of the publication into the NOVA database for the purposes of ERA peer review.

Why does RPM freeze on occasion?

Although the server can overload from time to time, this may have something to do with the browser you are using.  We recommend using Mozilla Firefox over Internet Explorer when accessing RPM.