The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada developed a tool called Research Quality Plus (RQ+) to assess and improve quality of research . The three tenets of RQ+ approach are: identify contexts of research, quality is multi-dimensional, and use of rubrics for systematic and empirical appraisal.
RQ+ Approach has five major applications:
- Priority Setting: RQ+ cultivates a shared understanding and common approach to research quality
- Design: Helps establish the desired results of a project or portfolio and strengthens design across the identified dimensions of quality.
- Implementation: Supports adaptive management of research projects and portfolios
- Evaluation: Provides an assessment framework to judge research quality based on clear criteria.
- Communication: Provides qualitative and quantitative evidence for the dimensions of research that matter most to those who enabled and undertook the work.