{"id":23569,"date":"2024-07-02T11:16:46","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T11:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.avdheshsharma.com\/the-declaration-on-research-assessment-dora-uniting-stakeholders\/"},"modified":"2024-07-30T13:13:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T13:13:02","slug":"the-declaration-on-research-assessment-dora-uniting-stakeholders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/the-declaration-on-research-assessment-dora-uniting-stakeholders","title":{"rendered":"The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA): Uniting stakeholders"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DORA Unites Stakeholders to Call for Better Research Assessment Methods\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The academic world can be challenging for researchers. <\/span><\/span><\/span>They often face pressure to publish their work in high-impact factor journals <\/span><\/span><\/span>in order to<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> secure promotions and grants for career advancement. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Impact factor<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, an index to measure the number of citations <\/span><\/span><\/span>of articles, is considered an important metric, with a higher impact factor increasing the researchers\u2019 visibility and their institute\u2019s prestige.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Although this metric is commonly used by<\/span><\/span><\/span> universities and funding bodies to decide on promotions and research proposals, researchers have increasingly criticized it as it may not necessarily measure a researcher\u2019s output<\/span><\/span><\/span> accurately<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span> Moreover, the pressure to publish regularly in high-impact factor journals affects researchers\u2019 mental well-being. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The scientific community also <\/span><\/span><\/span>realizes<\/span><\/span><\/span> that some people may fall prey to such pressures and resort to <\/span><\/span><\/span>unfair research practices.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Recognizing<\/span><\/span><\/span> the implications of the demands of publishing on research integrity and research well-being<\/span><\/span><\/span>, a group of <\/span><\/span><\/span>journal editors and publishers <\/span><\/span><\/span>developed<\/span><\/span><\/span> a declaration<\/span><\/span><\/span> in 2012<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span> The <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Declaration on Research Assessment<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> (DORA<\/span><\/span><\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/span> recognizes the need to improve methods for evaluating research outputs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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DORA <\/span><\/span><\/span>recommends<\/span><\/span><\/span> various stakeholders \u2013 including scientists, fund<\/span><\/span><\/span>ing agencies<\/span><\/span><\/span>, institutions, and publishers <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2013 to forsake using journal<\/span><\/span><\/span>-based metrics like journal<\/span><\/span><\/span> impact factors to judge individual researchers. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The declaration further calls on the need to assess research on its own merits rather than <\/span><\/span><\/span>on the basis of<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> the journal in which it is published.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Overall, DORA<\/span><\/span><\/span> aims to advance practical and robust approaches to research assessment all over the world and across all scholarly fields.<\/span><\/span><\/span> Since its <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>conception during the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>DORA<\/span><\/span><\/span> has become a worldwide initiative covering all scholarly disciplines and participation from all interested parties.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of the main projects that DORA has undertaken is <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>TARA<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> (Tools to Advance Research Assessment), which aims to <\/span><\/span><\/span>facilitate<\/span><\/span><\/span> the development <\/span><\/span><\/span>for<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> new policies and methods to assess academic careers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Objectives of DORA<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The main <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>goal of DORA<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> is to call to attention new metrics in research assessment, and advocate for the responsible use of metrics that uphold core academic principles and promote consistency and transparency in decision making.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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DORA also aims to develop and implement new policies and practices for hiring, promotion, and funding-related decisions. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Their goal is to ensure that these processes happen on the basis of metrics fairer than the impact factor index.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The declaration also <\/span><\/span><\/span>hopes to diversify the representation of researchers to design assessment practices that tackle structural inequalities in academia<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Approaches of DORA<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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To achieve their <\/span><\/span><\/span>objectives<\/span><\/span><\/span>, DORA regularly publish<\/span><\/span><\/span>es<\/span><\/span><\/span> blogs, organizes community interviews, and gives presentations on research assessment methods.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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DORA is also responsible for curating collections of good research practices to help individuals start dialogue about change. DORA also publishes commentaries that can guide various stakeholders on how to achieve DORA\u2019s main <\/span><\/span><\/span>objectives<\/span><\/span><\/span>. The committee also <\/span><\/span><\/span>convenes<\/span><\/span><\/span> workshops, conferences, and meetings to gather the various stakeholders to work towards changing the system.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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DORA partners with organizations with similar goals to reform research assessment. They also <\/span><\/span><\/span>advise<\/span><\/span><\/span> academic institutions and funding bodies <\/span><\/span><\/span>seeking<\/span><\/span><\/span> to review and revise their research assessment guidelines and practices.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Recommendations of DORA<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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While DORA\u2019s general recommendation is to forgo the use of journal-based metrics to assess researchers and their research, the declaration has specific <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>recommendations<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> for the various stakeholders.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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