UofG commits to DORA and the Hong Kong Principles
Published: 3 May 2021
We have signed up to the international standard on research integrity
As part of our ongoing programme to update our research culture, the University has signed up to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Hong Kong Principles for assessing researchers.
These international initiatives commit signatories to implementing inclusive and fair approaches to assessing scholarly research, as well as recognising and rewarding both rigorous and open research practices.
Our programme to review our research culture started in 2015, and we have decided that the time is now right to subscribe to DORA and the Hong Kong Principles, after establishing a clear direction of travel.
Research Culture at UofG
The aims of DORA and the Hong Kong Principles are embraced by UofG’s research culture programme, which spans research integrity, open research, collegiality, support for careers and responsible approaches to evaluating research quality.
The University’s approach to updating research culture is described in our five-year research culture action plan, our support for the Concordat for the Career Development of Researchers, and in our 2020–2025 University Research Strategy.
To cement these activities, we launched a Lab for Academic Culture in December 2020, which broadens the programme to all academic activity, not just research.
Our commitment to DORA and the Hong Kong Principles
The primary aim of DORA is to avoid the use of journal impact factors as a proxy for judging the quality of individual articles. Our recruitment and PDR mechanisms will support the aims of DORA and the Hong Kong Principles; these will be consistent with the changes made in 2019–20 to our professorial promotion criteria, which ask for evidence of collegiality and a commitment to open research. We will encourage researchers to evidence activity by using a combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators. We have also provided guidance on how to have discussions with peers or mentees about approaches for publishing and sharing research. Further information: Talking about your research outputs.
Culture is integral to ensuring that we do the best research possible. For our research to advance knowledge and improve society we need to embrace all our talents and research contributions, work collaboratively to address bigger challenges, and recognise the different forms that research takes. In a research-intensive university like ours, a supportive culture is not an alternative to excellence; rather, it is what will help more of us to excel.
First published: 3 May 2021
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