Discussions about research integrity are prompting a reevaluation of research culture, including academic assessment. To understand the opportunities and barriers to improve academic assessment in the Asia-Pacific region, DORA hosted its first webinar in collaboration with the Australasian Open Access Strategy Group (AOASG) on Thursday, July 2, 2020. Panelists included Michael Barber, Australian Academy of Science; Yukiko Gotoh, The University of Tokyo; Xiaoxuan Li, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Donna McRostie, University of Melbourne; and Justin Zobel, University of Melbourne.
Updates from Research England and the Open Research Funders Group
Communication is an important mechanism to increase the uptake of responsible research assessment practices at universities and funding agencies. To help, DORA brings together public and private research funders for a virtual meeting each quarter to discuss new policies, practices, and pilot experiments for assessing research. On Thursday, June 25, 2020, Claire Fraser, senior policy advisor at Research England and Greg Tananbaum, director of the Open Research Funders Group (ORFG), provided updates on their latest efforts to improve research assessment.
Faculty are concerned about research assessment in the wake of COVID-19
The emergence of the corona virus this winter led to the unprecedented global stoppage of academic research. To identify faculty challenges in the wake of the pandemic, DORA co-sponsored a webinar with Rescuing Biomedical Research (RBR) on May 7, 2020.
Annual report: a recap of activities of the San Francisco Declaration of Research Assessment (DORA) in 2019
Over the past year, it has become apparent that the declaration represents just one part of DORA’s portfolio of activities. In 2019, DORA added resources and examples of good practice to the web page, organized sessions at academic conferences, published perspective pieces, hosted virtual events, and co-sponsored our first meeting with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
DORA seeks nominations for the Advisory Board from North and South America
DORA seeks nominations and self-nominations from North and South America to fill two open positions on our international Advisory Board.
Rethinking Research Assessment: Ideas for Action
We are pleased to announce a new briefing document from DORA and colleagues, “Rethinking Research Assessment: Ideas for Action,” which provides five design principles to help universities and research institutions improve their research assessment policies and practices.
Roles and actions for libraries to advance research assessment reform
On Tuesday, April 7, 2020, more than 180 individuals around the world joined DORA’s webinar discussion to examine what roles libraries play in research assessment reform. Panelists Curtis Brundy (Iowa State University), Yvonne Nobis (University of Cambridge), Leonidas Papachristopoulos (Hellenic Open University Distance Library and the Association of European Research Libraries), and Devin Savage (Illinois Institute of Technology) discussed their experiences as librarians working to improve how research is evaluated on campus.
The Latin American Forum on Scientific Evaluation (FOLEC) in action
The Latin American Forum on Scientific Evaluation (FOLEC) is a regional space for debate on the policies and practices of the evaluation of scientific work as well as the long-term implications of evaluation processes. Through FOLEC, the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) seeks to change the system by recognizing and rewarding the open, common and public domain of knowledge and its connection with democratizing and sustainable models of science that are committed to solving societal problems.
Updates from Swiss National Science Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and the Dutch Research Council
DORA launched a new virtual discussion series for public and private research funders on Wednesday, March 26. The goal of the series is to increase communication about research assessment reform by providing a space for funders to share and discuss new initiatives. We hope this will ultimately serve as a platform to accelerate the spread of good research assessment policies and practices.
DORA statement on hiring, promotion, and funding decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended daily life around the world, forcing individuals and organizations to adapt rapidly to unanticipated circumstances. The changes in universities and research institutions have been dramatic.