OU launches its DORA Implementation Plan to improve assessment of research quality

In November 2020 The Open University (OU) signed the San Francisco Declaration of Research Assessment (DORA) and created its own Responsible use of Research Metrics Statement.

To support the implementation of good practice, the OU DORA Academic Reference and Implementation Groups are now launching the new OU DORA Implementation Plan.

Professor Darren Langdridge, Chair to the DORA Academic Reference Group, says:

"The OU DORA Implementation Plan recognizes the pressing need within the sector to improve the ways in which we assess the quality of research. We champion the responsible, contextualised use of research metrics as we believe it will assist the OU in working towards greater fairness, transparency and equity for staff at all levels."

DORA’s vision and main objectives will be implemented at the OU through:

• recognizing the need to improve the ways in which researchers and the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated, eliminating the use of journal impact factors as a surrogate measure of research quality
• embedding a culture that recognises the need to use metrics responsibly in all research assessment processes
• being explicit about the criteria used to reach hiring, career advancement and promotion decisions
• considering, for the purposes of research assessment, the value and impact of all research outputs (including datasets and software) in addition to research publications as well as a broad range of impact measures including qualitative indicators of research impact, such as influence on policy and practice

DORA is relevant to all disciplines and researchers at all stages of their career. It aligns the OU’s desire to support the next generation of researchers and is a worldwide initiative of relevance to institutional research cultures, research assessment and citation practices. To date it has been signed by over 2,000 organizations and around 16,600 individuals.