In November, The OU’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Blackman signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). DORA has been signed by over 16,500 individuals and by over 2,000 organisations worldwide so far, in a commitment to making research assessment fair and transparent: –

“Under this agreement, the OU commits to not allocating staff career advancement opportunities based on Journal Impact Factors (JIFs). In its DORA implementation plan it will make explicit the criteria used for attracting, retaining and developing a diverse research community. The OU will recognise the importance of processes for staff evaluation that are transparent and evidence-based, as part of a culture that aims to be fully inclusive.”

To find out more, take a look at the OU’s news item and read the OU’s official DORA statement, and to keep up-to-date with developments, the DORA blog is a useful read and they can be followed on Twitter @DORAssessment.