DORA will develop a new resource, “A Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment for Scholarly Communication.” This Guide builds on DORA’s previous Practical Guides for research performing and funding organizations, and represents our next step in supporting the implementation of responsible research assessment across the research ecosystem. Focusing on scholarly communication, the Guide will explore how editorial, publishing and infrastructure practices shape research assessment and how they can be aligned with responsible, transparent, and equitable approaches. It will address areas such as editorial policies, peer review, the use of metrics, and how research outputs are communicated and evaluated.
We invite you to help shape this Guide by sharing your experience and perspectives through our short community survey for DORA organizational signatories. In collaboration with OASPA, we will also host a co-creation satellite workshop at the OASPA 2026 Conference to continue the co-creation process.
DORA Community Survey
As part of the co-creation process, DORA is launching a short community survey for DORA signatories to gather input from across the scholarly communication system. We are particularly keen to hear from publishers, journals, and editors of different sizes and contexts, including smaller and community-led initiatives, to better understand current practices and challenges.
The survey focuses on a few simple but important questions to help shape the Guide, including what are the top actions you or your organisation have already taken to support responsible research assessment and what topics the Guide should cover. The insights will help us map real-world experiences, identify common priorities, and ensure the Guide reflects the needs and diversity of the community. We strongly encourage DORA signatories, as well as the wider publishing and research community, to contribute: https://bit.ly/schol-comm-survey.
Your input will directly inform both the OASPA satellite workshop discussions and the development of the Guide.
OASPA satellite workshop
This invitation-only satellite event will bring together publishers, journal editors, researchers, funders, and infrastructure providers to explore how responsible research assessment can be embedded in scholarly communication practices. The event will be a full-day, interactive session on September 24, 2026, combining short framing inputs with extended discussion and co-creation activities. The day will begin by setting the context for the Guide, including lessons from previous Guides, and early insights from the community survey. Participants will then hear a range of perspectives from across the research and publishing system, highlighting current practices, challenges, and opportunities in implementing responsible research assessment.
The core of the workshop will focus on collaborative work, where participants will:
- Provide feedback on the proposed structure of the Guide
- Contribute ideas for key actions, practices, and recommendations
- Explore broader system-level issues and emerging challenges in scholarly communication
What’s Next
The survey and the workshop form a central part of a broader co-creation process that will shape the Guide. We will continue the work with a dedicated DORA Steering Committee Task Force and virtual engagements during 2026 that will inform the development of the Guide, scheduled for launch in May 2027.
Whether your organization is just beginning its journey or has already implemented significant changes, we invite you to share your experiences through the survey and help shape the future of responsible research assessment in scholarly communication. The survey will remain open until 31 July 2026.