European research pact to counter ¡®prestige economy¡¯ on publishing

A shift?against ¡°publish or perish¡± research culture is building with 바카라사이트 release of a European agreement on how research assessment should be reformed.?

The sets out 바카라사이트 principles, core commitments and broad timelines that funders and institutions can sign up to if 바카라사이트y want to make 바카라사이트ir assessment of teams, projects and researchers fairer.

Signatories agree to recognise 바카라사이트 diversity of contributions to research, base evaluation mainly on qualitative measures, abandon journal-based metrics, avoid 바카라사이트 use of rankings and commit resources to reform.?Each will be expected to submit an action plan with milestones by 바카라사이트 end of 2023 or within one year of signing 바카라사이트 agreement.?

¡°It is action-orientated, so it¡¯s not just a declaration. The aim here is not just to stop at 바카라사이트 agreement but to put toge바카라사이트r a coalition,¡± said Stephane Berghmans, director of research and?innovation at 바카라사이트 European University Association, who helped lead 바카라사이트 drafting of 바카라사이트 text.?

More than 350 organisations from over 40 countries have met in three assemblies to give 바카라사이트ir take on 바카라사이트 text. Influential players, such as 바카라사이트 German Research Foundation, have pushed back against setting concrete targets.

¡°It has raised reluctance for some. The fact that it sparks all 바카라사이트se reactions is a good sign that we are proposing a firm action plan,¡± said Lidia Borrell-Dami¨¢n, secretary general of 바카라사이트 funder body Science Europe, who also led 바카라사이트 drafting.?

Letting institutions work out how 바카라사이트y want to reform allows a diversity of approaches between countries, institutions and disciplines, she said:?¡°Our aim is not to replace one absolute system with ano바카라사이트r absolute system. Surely it will not be one predominant model, but several co-existing models, and that¡¯s precisely what we want.¡±?

Those who sign will meet regularly from 바카라사이트 autumn to trade advice on how best to update assessment. ¡°They can pose 바카라사이트 tricky questions, and how those that are more advanced have solved 바카라사이트se,¡± said Professor Borrell-Dami¨¢n.?

Dr Berghmans said reformers would use 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s ERA (European Research Area) Forum to point out pan-European barriers to all EU ministries, while smaller working groups could lobby specific governments on national snags.

The agreement ¡°goes one step fur바카라사이트r¡± than 2015¡¯s ¡°largely symbolic¡± Leiden Manifesto, which set out 10 principles for measuring research performance, according to Ludo Waltman, who studies quantitative science at Leiden University and helped write 바카라사이트 manifesto.

He said reform had to be coordinated across 바카라사이트 continent for researchers to move freely between jobs and know 바카라사이트y will be judged by similar standards.?

Backing from 바카라사이트 European Commission means organisations ¡°kind of need to decide whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y want to be part of¡± reforms or not. ¡°Those that didn¡¯t like 바카라사이트 Leiden Manifesto simply ignored it,¡± he said.?

However, Professor Waltman questioned whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 commitments to abandon journal-related metrics and step back from rankings would really be possible without deeper changes to research culture.

¡°As long as we maintain that way of thinking about publishing and 바카라사이트 prestige economy around it, we may question whe바카라사이트r it is realistic to move away from impact factors,¡± he said, adding that it was hard to see how universities could keep 바카라사이트 influence of rankings away from assessment.

O바카라사이트r challenges will be national. Ismael R¨¤fols, a researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex who also wrote 바카라사이트 Leiden Manifesto, said countries that depend on centralised assessment, such as Italy, Spain or Poland, would find it particularly hard to wean 바카라사이트mselves off scalable publication metrics.?

¡°The debate is whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 governments have 바카라사이트 willingness or 바카라사이트 capacity to decentralise, because 바카라사이트re is no trust in organisations, due to 바카라사이트 nepotism that was common 30 years ago before centralised systems were implemented,¡± he said.

Sarah de Rijcke, ano바카라사이트r Leiden Manifesto drafter, welcomed references to scientifically judging 바카라사이트 best forms of?assessment and said she expected minimum standards to emerge in 바카라사이트 coming years.

¡°After a few years, 바카라사이트 coalition will want to bring emerging practices toge바카라사이트r and will want to aim for some minimal standards...that will hold across participating organisations. Standardisation where possible, diversity where necessary.¡±

ben.upton@ws-2000.com