Velux Stiftung has signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA): research evaluation needs to consider the different forms of research output when evaluating achievements and scientific quality.
The assessment of scientific achievements is a key element in research funding. For a long time, it was common to assess research outputs by using journal-based metrics. A publication in a highly cited journal was worth more than a publication in a less cited journal. Today, we know that journal-based metrics are field-specific, can be skewed and are based on intransparent data. There is an urgent need to improve how research is evaluated.
When evaluating scientific quality, the content of a publications should more important than the journal where it was published. When assessing scientific productivity, it is important to recognize the many other forms of scientific output and how they contribute to translating the new knowledge for society. This new knowledge can be transferred in many different ways: Beyond scientific publications, data, code, protocols, reagents and intellectual properties are produced. Workshops or symposia create opportunities for academic exchange. Training courses or outreach activities inform professionals and the public about new discoveries. Dialogue with policymakers can contribute to shape our future. It is vital to integrate these outputs in the evaluation process as a funder who is committed to create change and benefit for society.
For several years, the foundation board has taken account of different research outputs in their funding decisions. By signing the DORA declaration, Velux Stiftung now officially commits to these values. Our funding criteria ask reviewers to refrain from using journal-based metrics in their assessment and to value all research outputs. We will also adopt a standardised CV for applicants that will help to highlight the other forms of research outputs and contributions to society.
DORA – Declaration on Research Assessment
The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) recognizes the need to improve the ways in which researchers and the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated. The idea for the declaration was developed in 2012 at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco. It has become a worldwide initiative covering all scholarly disciplines and all key stakeholders including funders, publishers, professional societies, research institutions, and researchers. More than 22’000 individuals and institutions have signed the declaration to date.
