Resource Library

The purpose of the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) is to grow New Zealand for all. It aims to build a strong economy by using the skills, knowledge and time of its people in conjunction with its natural resources, and financial and physical capital to improve the wellbeing of current and future generations.…

The Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) is the principal advisory body to the Government of Tanzania on all matters related to science, technology, and innovation (STI). Established in 1986, COSTECH coordinates, regulates, and promotes research and innovation to support national development. This case study describes COSTECH’s initiative to strengthen the capacity of female…

The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) is the main funder of research activities in Luxembourg. It invests public funds and private donations into research projects in various branches of science and the humanities, with an emphasis on selected core strategic areas. FNR supports and coordinates activities to strengthen the link between science and society and…

In 2020 the Canadian federal funding agencies introduced a Reference Group for the Appropriate Review of Indigenous Research in recognition that culturally appropriate review of Indigenous research cannot be achieved without the involvement and co-leadership of Indigenous Peoples.

To encourage high-quality, constructive, and unbiased grant reviews, in 2020 the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) implemented a reviewer performance assessment system.

We are pleased to share two slide decks designed to support the implementation of “A Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Funding Organizations” (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18402271). RFO Practical Guide Overview Deck This slide deck presents an overview of the Guide, its aims and origins, a brief introduction to RRA, and a run through of…

"A Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Funding Organizations" provides action-oriented guidance, resources, and illustrative examples, for research funding organizations (RFOs) who are looking to shape and deliver responsible research assessment (RRA) practices.

“Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at RFOs: Quick-Reference Sheets from the Practical Guide” is a set of concise, action-oriented resources designed to support RFOs to engage with RRA and catalyze action. The one-page Reference Sheets provide a highly distilled summary of each section of the full Practical Guide for Research Funding Organizations, covering: Introduction to the Guide…

“Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at RFOs: Informational Briefs from the Practical Guide” is a set of three tailored resources designed to support key audiences of the Guide to engage with RRA and catalyze action. These briefs are inspired by and complement the full Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Funding Organizations. The three…

QUT is applying DORA principles across all faculties through a university-wide Action Plan. Since 2021, the institution has prioritized equity and fair metrics, with full implementation continuing through 2027. A review of the Academic Career Framework will further embed these practices, supported by broad consultation and collaboration with other DORA signatories.

This case study shares the Major R&D Outcome-Oriented Evaluation System implemented by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in recent years which emphasized impactful research and moved beyond purely quantitative metrics.

This is part of DORA’s toolkit of resources to support academic institutions that are improving their policies and practices. Find other resources in the toolkit here. “Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at RPOs: Informational Briefs from the Practical Guide” is a set of three tailored resources designed to support diverse audiences connected to Research Performing Organizations (RPOs)…

This is part of DORA’s toolkit of resources to support academic institutions that are improving their policies and practices. Find other resources in the toolkit here. “Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at RPOs: Quick-Reference Sheets from the Practical Guide” is a set of concise, action-oriented resources designed to support Research Performing Organizations (RPOs) in adopting and advancing…

We are pleased to share two comprehensive slide decks designed to support the implementation of A Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Performing Organizations (more here). These slides are freely available for download and can be adapted to suit your specific needs. Both include detailed speaker notes to facilitate delivery. Institutional Presentation…

This document provides guidance on the use of several indicators (sometimes called metrics) used in research assessment: the Journal Impact Factor and other measurements of journals, citation counts, h-index, field-normalized citation indicators, and altmetrics. Five principles guide the use of these metrics: be clear, be transparent, be specific, be contextual, and be fair.

"A Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Performing Organizations" provides action-oriented guidance, resources, and illustrative examples, for research performing organizations (RPOs) who are looking to shape and deliver responsible research assessment (RRA) practices. This includes RPOs who are looking to create an RRA strategy, organizations wanting to reform existing practices, and organizations simply wanting to take steps towards more holistic and inclusive approaches to research assessment.

Aalborg University (AAU) in Denmark has embarked on an ambitious reform of its research assessment practices, aiming to move beyond traditional journal-based metrics and towards a more holistic and mission-driven approach. As an institution committed to problem-based learning and interdisciplinary collaboration, AAU sought to align research evaluation with its broader strategic goals. With approximately 3,200…

In January 2021, the University of Calgary was the first Canadian university to sign DORA, cementing an ongoing commitment to societal impact, recognition of diverse forms of scholarship, Indigenous engagement, equity, diversity and inclusion and rigorous assessment and reporting of impact to parties within and beyond the University. The process of implementing DORA has been a…

The University of Tokyo, established in 1877, is Japan’s oldest and largest national university, with three main campuses: Hongo, Komaba, and Kashiwa. The university’s major research areas span a wide range of disciplines, including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields. In 2023, UTokyo became the first Japanese university to sign DORA. This…

In 2022, the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland underwent a complete overhaul of their evaluation policies, stemming from their motivation to address reproducibility issues in the field and develop more transparent and inclusive evaluation policies. The department chair began this process with DORA’s principles in mind, working alongside administration, faculty, and a…

A one page tool that describes the six ways that entries are characterized in the Reformscape dataset. 1. Institution type. 2. Scope. 3. Populations. 4. Career decision. 5. Type of assessment reform. 6. Stages of reform. Part of "Rethinking research assessment" series.

This is a short report summarizing the key takeaways from a workshop co-organized by the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), the University of Bristol, Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, and the MoreBrains Cooperative. The aim of the online workshop was to develop actions to improve the processes that take place before research is…

This paper investigates the processes and criteria involved in faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure assessments within academic institutions in the United States. Considering the relative size of the United States and its worldwide standing in academic research, there has been less public commitment to reforming research assessment from American research institutions than in similarly positioned…

This small, letter-sized poster (A4 paper) describes how you can use Reformscape to explore examples of responsible research assessment and help visualize what changes in policy toward responsible research assessment look like. This poster provides nine possible situations in which Reformscape can provide information, and describes five groups who might want to use Reformscape. DORA.…

This one-page tip sheet is a part of the short report Using Narrative CVs: Identifying shared objectives and monitoring effectiveness. In February 2022, DORA organized the online workshop series “Using Narrative CVs: Identifying shared objectives and monitoring effectiveness” in partnership with FORGEN CoP, Science Foundation Ireland, the Swiss National Science Foundation, UK Research and Innovation,…