Bogus metric unused

Milton Wainwright (Letters, January 19) asks: "Can someone tell us the name of the philistine who suggested the use of this bogus metric (journal impact factor) to determine research quality?" Well, since none of the research assessment exercise panels use it - they rely on the quality of the content, not the vehicle that it appeared in - the philistine in question has to be within Wainwright's own institution.

Charles Oppenheim
Loughborough University