It was gratifying to see two references to the conference I organised on the issue of research funding ("Peer review must be at the heart of REF", 17 July; "Arts experts fear metrics will skew REF", 24 July), that I drew to the attention of Times Higher Education, but I was disappointed at the delicately veiled nature of the reference to the organising body, the National Conference of University Professors.
The NCUP is deeply committed to these issues, hence our conference on "Counting on Excellence: Bibliometrics and the Future of Research Funding" on 16 July, which brought together a formidable range of speakers.
Ironically, in relation to metrics, I would have scored highly, albeit in indirect terms only (two pieces in subsequent issues of Times Higher Education for a conference I oversaw), with nil recognition of either the academic body or myself as initiators and organisers of the event. Perhaps this is a good example of how misleading bibliometrics can be.
Ann Heilmann, President, NCUP.