The University has signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which provides a code of best practice in research assessment to which institutions can subscribe. Many funders of the University’s research have already signed DORA, including the research councils which make up UKRI, the Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK, and the Daphne Jackson Trust.

As a signatory of DORA, the University of Nottingham is committed to:

• avoiding journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles
• being explicit about the criteria used to reach hiring, tenure, and promotion decisions and foregrounding the scientific content of a paper
• considering the value and impact of all research outputs and a broad range of impact measures.

Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange who signed DORA on behalf of the University, said: “Signing DORA signals a commitment to our staff, to our funders, and to the wider world, that we are committed to a fair and transparent approach to research assessment, which draws upon the best possible modern practice.”

Find out more.