In response to significant criticism, the Australian Research Council has overturned its decision to restrict preprint material from being cited in funding applications.
In the 2021 financing round of Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards and Future Fellowships, a federal government body introduced a prohibition on the awarding of fellowships to Australian researchers who do not hold a PhD in mathematics or the physical sciences.
It comes after the Guardian Australia reported on the concerns of researchers whose funding applications had been denied as a result of the restriction, which has now been reversed. Their research careers in Australia were put in jeopardy, according to several, who called it “devastating.”
In some academic fields, it is normal practice to post research articles to preprint servers while they are subjected to thorough peer-review.
Preprints like this one have been regarded as out of step with modern research techniques and “a remarkably stupid own goal for Australian science” by the Australian Research Council.
It was announced on Tuesday that preprints will no longer be regarded an eligibility concern, and applications will not be rejected because of their use.
An alternative is to put your faith in the ARC’s assessment team to help you determine the value, applicability and relevance of your work and other researchers’ work in your particular field.
Many international funding organizations, including the European Research Council and the US National Institutes of Health, allow preprints to be included in submissions, thus the ARC has reversed its policy.
ARC grant applications totaling $22 million in funding were found invalid in August after the Senate passed an order for the government to submit de-identified information about the proposals.
Faruqi, a Greens senator and education spokesperson, said in a statement: “The ARC has seen sense and rescinded this nonsensical rule after a huge backlash from the research community. This is a victory for the scientific community and for our country.”
Transparency is a major issue for the ARC. Key information concerning affected DECRA and Future Fellowship applications should not have had to be made public by a Senate order.”
Changes to the preprint requirements will not be implemented in funding cycles when application deadlines have past, but “standard application and appeals processes… as a matter of priority” will be implemented.
It’s sad that the regulation will continue to apply for rounds that have closed, and I encourage the ARC to reconsider. ” Faruqi added. With the physical sciences being disproportionately affected, more researchers will have to deal with heartbreak.
As a result, if ARC does not reveal the information for applicants affected in the upcoming rounds, I will again petition the Senate to order its publication.
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