Caveats from the great exercise

YOUR OPINION piece about the RAE entitled "Open, improving and accountable" stated: "But it is equally plausible that the great research race has got more people out of bed earlier and in front of their word processors." Two questions: what evidence is there that academics get out of bed any later than anyone else? When do you start work?

D. A. TROTTER Department of European languages, University of Wales Aberystwyth