Evaluating the Social Sciences and Humanities in Context – a Discussion Paper

This article presents the course and conclusions of the discussion on evaluation of research in social sciences and humanities (SSH). The results of SSH research can, on the one hand, be of significant local importance, and, on the other, require an appropriate international context. These conflicting trends are difficult to balance. A further difficulty is the attempt to reduce the evaluation of research results in SSH to the effects of publication ranking. This trend gives rise to many pathological phenomena (related, for example, to the increase in the cost of publication in journals and other ranked publications). The dominance of the ranking system of journals within the framework of financing scientific disciplines has negative impacts on aspects of academic activity beyond the publication of research results. Teaching activities and university relations with the wider world may suffer. In the course of the discussion an attempt is made to respond to these threats.