Competition-based models for research policy and management have an increasing influence throughout the research process, from attracting funding to publishing results. The introduction of quality control methods utilizing various forms of performance indicators is part of this development. The authors presented in this volume deal with the following questions: What counts as 'quality' and how can this be assessed? What are the possible side effects of current quality control systems on research conducted in the European Research Area, especially in the social sciences and the humanities?

Ingrid Gogolin is Professor for International Comparative and Intercultural Education Research at the University of Hamburg. She was the Coordinator of the EERQI Project. Fredrik Åström holds a research position at Lund University Libraries Head Office and works on the visualization of research fields. He holds a Ph.D. in library and information science. Antje Hansen is a research manager at the University of Hamburg in the Faculty of Education. She holds an MA in European Studies from Bogazici University, Istanbul.