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.

Fundermentals Top Ten of 2017

As we stumble towards the end of 2017, our heads spinning with fake news and fake news about fake news, it's time to look back and think: well, we've got Trump and May, but at least Fundermentals is still doing lookalikes.

Yes, readers, the world may be a bizarre place at the moment but there are certain things you can rely on. And so, as 2017 shudders to a halt, we take a look back at what's tickled your fancy in the year of covfefe.

Fundermentals Top 10 2016

2016. What a year. At the beginning of the year the largest issue we had was what NERC would call their new research ship; by the end all the heroes were dead, climate scientists in the USA are desperately backing up data for fear that the new President will scrub it all, the UK is committing economic suicide and withdrawing into itself, and the one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world is being bombed into oblivion. 

In higher education, it's been a busy year too. The Stern Review was published, the HE White Paper was reshaping the sector, and the Global Challenges Research Fund was launched.

Fundermentals has been on hand to comment, highlight and, occasionally, laugh. Here are the most popular posts from the last twelve months.

Fundermental Top 10 of 2015

For the past two years I've done a round up of the most read posts on Research Fundermentals. As a reminder, here are the lists for 2013 and 2014.

Now, in this season of lists and mellow fruitiness, it's time to have a look at what's been top of the pops on the blog this year. And, for a change, we'll do them in reverse order. You know, to give you a little excitement, a little suspense. How can you possibly resist?

Fundermental Top 10 of 2014

Last year I compiled a list of the top ten posts on Fundermentals, based on page views. As we inch towards Christmas, and before the deluge of the REF, I reckon it's time to do the same for 2014.

Fundermental Top 10 of 2013

It's that time of year, isn't it? Never mind peace on Earth and goodwill to all: give us your lists! What have you been watching? What have you been reading? Where have you gone? What have you eaten?

So, in the spirit of the season, here are the ten most read posts on the blog this year. It's like a mix tape of the best bits, and a reminder of what we've all been thinking about this year.

1. Notes from OA Forum (January). I can't believe it's been almost a year since we held this event.

   

   No. 1: OA Forum

   2013 is the year that Open Access became mainstream, when we consulted on and drafted an OA Policy. This was part of the process, and maybe its popularity came from many people being in the same boat, trying to work out exactly what they were going to do about OA.
2. Thinking Imaginatively about Impact (May). Although OA has dominated people's minds (after the REF, natch), Impact continues to have a hold. Kevin Parker of KKI

   

   No. 2: Impact

   Associates came and spoke about how to be creative with interpreting impact. Inspiring.
3. EPSRC Bingo (October). Whilst Fundermentals is meant to inform with notes on meetings such as those on OA and Impact above, it's also meant to be a way of sharing frustrations - hopefully with a bit of humour. This came from reading one policy document too many.
4. Essential Elements of a Good Application (November). A write up of a Grants Factory event this year. We brought together four academics who have had experience of the BBSRC, ESRC, AHRC and EPSRC, and it was a really useful panel session. 

   

   No. 4: Essential Elements

5. AHRC: View from the Committee Room (February). I've taken part in a couple of AHRC training events this year, to talk about what we do at Kent with internal peer review. This post was writing up the hints and tips of one of the other speakers, Prof Roberta Mock of Plymouth University.
6. H2020: Where We're at (July). As well as the growth of OA, we've all been keeping a weather eye on the development of the new European funding programme, Horizon 2020. This was an overview of the developments mid-year, after coming

   

   No. 6: H2020

   back from the EARMA Conference in Vienna.
7. Meanwhile, in Moscow Airport (July). Another bit of silliness. In the summer all eyes were on Moscow Airport as whistleblower Edward Snowden fled American authorities. I couldn't help but see certain similarities between him and the Times Higher's own Phil Baty...

   

   No. 8: Recycling

8. Recycling your Proposal (May). A write up from last year's Grants Factory. The low success rates of the research funding process means that applicants need to think about what to do if their bid fails. Here's some ideas.
9. Balancing the Conflicting Demands of Academia (June). Last year we launched the Early Career Researcher Network. These were the notes from a really useful session, at which many shared their experiences, and learnt from each other.

   

   No. 9: Balancing

10. Introduction to Open Access (June). So the list ends as it began: with OA. This was six months after the OA Forum, when we stopped to take breath, gather our thoughts, and try and distill what OA is all about.

Thanks to you all for reading the blog this year. If you have any thoughts or ideas on things that should be covered in 2014, drop me a line.