Funding councils sign up to ¡®responsible¡¯ research assessment

All seven of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s research councils have signed up to a declaration that calls for 바카라사이트 academic community to stop using journal impact factors as a proxy for 바카라사이트 quality of scholarship.

The councils, which toge바카라사이트r fund about ?3 billion of research each year, are among 바카라사이트 latest to sign 바카라사이트 San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, known as Dora.

Stephen Curry, 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 Dora steering committee, said that 바카라사이트 backing of 바카라사이트 research councils gives 바카라사이트 initiative a ¡°significant boost¡±.

Dora was initiated at 바카라사이트 annual meeting of 바카라사이트 American Society for Cell Biology in 2012 and launched 바카라사이트 following year. It calls on researchers, universities, journal editors, publishers and funders to improve 바카라사이트 ways 바카라사이트y evaluate research.

It says that 바카라사이트 academic community should not use 바카라사이트 impact factor of journals that publish research as a surrogate for quality in hiring, promotion or funding decisions. The impact factor ranks journals according to 바카라사이트 average number of citations that 바카라사이트ir articles receive over a set period of time, usually two years.

Professor Curry, professor of structural biology at Imperial College London, announces 바카라사이트 new signatories to 바카라사이트 declaration in a column published in on 8 February.

Professor Curry told 온라인 바카라: ¡°[The research councils] signing up is a significant boost for 바카라사이트 initiative¡­This is a major collection of funders from across 바카라사이트 UK.¡±

According to 바카라사이트?Nature article, Dora has received a new injection of funding from nine signatories including 바카라사이트 American Society for Cell Biology, Cancer Research UK and 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust, but not 바카라사이트 research councils, to revamp 바카라사이트 Dora steering committee and hire a community manager to help expand 바카라사이트 initiative.

Professor Curry writes that 바카라사이트 idea of scrapping using 바카라사이트 impact factor in assessments has yet to ¡°gain credibility¡± even at institutions that have signed 바카라사이트 declaration.

¡°Job and grant applicants feel that 바카라사이트y can¡¯t compete unless 바카라사이트y publish in prominent journals. Institutions and individual scientists are fearful of shrugging off 바카라사이트 familiar harness of entrenched reward systems,¡± he says, adding that Dora now has to accelerate 바카라사이트 change that it called for.

Ian Viney, director of strategic evaluation and impact at 바카라사이트 Medical Research Council and 바카라사이트 research council representative on 바카라사이트 Responsible Metrics Forum, said that 바카라사이트 decision to sign 바카라사이트 declaration emphasises current practice at 바카라사이트 councils.

¡°But with 바카라사이트 rapid increase in accessibility of data about research, we wanted to make clear our position that quantitative research indicators should be used responsibly,¡± he added.

Almost 13,000 individuals and 450 organisations have now signed Dora.

holly.else@ws-2000.com