Fundermentals Top Ten 2018

A confused smorgasbord of wonder (photo: Max Pixel CC0)

Every year we make a list, check it twice, and work out who's been naughty and nice. Or at least most read. Which amounts to the same thing, right? 

If you're curious about what was tippermost of the toppermost in previous years, here's the list from 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. Before that, well, you're on your own. 

Here's the lowdown on which articles were most read on Fundermentals this year.

• 10: Broken Ranks. The increasing dominance of rankings in the sector has led, in my mind, to the tail is now wagging the dog. Here I explore the fundamental flaws with the dominant ranking systems.

• 9: The Breathless Pursuit of Excellence. A related issue is the way in which 'excellence' has become a necessary noun in modern higher education, but is ultimately an empty and meaningless label. Is there a better way to explain robust and effective research? 

• 8: Surviving Conference Coffee. Impossible, of course, but here are my top tips on getting the most out of the conference season. 

• 7: What You Need to Know: the UKRI Strategic Prospectus. In May UKRI published its aspirational wish list for the years ahead. This is the first of two articles that analysed it. Here, it's the seven take home points. 

• 6: Dude, Who's Got my Twitter? It's a fast moving world on the internets, and you have to be quick to snaffle the Twitter handle that is your birthright. We look at those who lost out, and who got their handles before they did. 

• 5: What You Need to Know: Horizon Europe. The second WYNTK on the list, with the focus this time on the proposal for the EU's new framework programme. Of course, it could all be academic for those in the UK, but still: good to be prepared. Once again, seven take home points.

• 4: Boiled down Basics: the UKRI Strategic Prospectus. We had the seven take homes at No 7: here it's a close reading of the Prospectus itself. What do you need to read, what can you skip, and what does it all mean? 

• 3: Top Tips for International Collaboration. Ian McLoughlin of the University of Kent's School of Computing has a long track record of working with colleagues around the world. Here he shares his ten tips on being part of a successful international collaboration.

• 2: Questioning the Cartel. The Russell Group (TM) has risen to become a de facto badge of quality in UK higher education. And yet it's self-appointed and is looking out for its own interests - and is therefore corrosive to the long-term health of the sector. We look into its background and question its dominance.

• 1: Open Access: Europe's Plan A-R Explained. There's something heartening about the list being topped by a joke piece. It makes me realise that, despite the workload, the additional demands, the hoops and the hurdles, academics and administrators still have a sense of humour. Things aren't so bleak after all.