In this article, the author identifies six "traps" of institutional research. These traps are: (1) the seductive power of scenarios; (2) that change is the solution to everything; (3) "benchmarking for comfort"; (4) fixation on Research Assessment Exercise (RAE); (5) reputation over quality; and (6) dealing with the counter-intuitive. The author also talks about the value of knowing one's history as an institution.