Assessing Research Assessment

Assessing research assessment means making a careful evaluation to identify whether ongoing assessments are fit for purpose, or whether newly implemented research assessment have the intended impacts.
Level 1
Aim: Value process
Aim: Recognition
Aim: Alternative questions
CoARA Commitment 3
CoARA Commitment 5
CoARA Commitment 6
CoARA Commitment 10
Target: Funder
Target: Academic institution
Target: Scholarly association
Target: Research group
Target: Individual scholar
Target: Meta-researcher
Target: Editor and publisher
Contributor

Experiments in Assessment WG

Publication date

April 9, 2026

Updated

April 28, 2026

WarningObjectives and potential outcome
  • Reflect on the impacts that current research assessment may have on researchers and research practices
  • Adapt assessment processes
  • Avoid negative unintended consequences

Research domains

This assessment can fit in any domain where individuals or research is being assessed.

Context and considerations

Assessing and experimenting with research assessment is an important part of the ongoing reform of research assessment. Investigating the shortages and strengths of the assessments that are currently in place is important to identify what needs to change and how changes can be effectively put in place.

Challenges and mitigations

Evaluating success

Relevant resources and literature

Templates from funders and institutions

Case examples and literature

DORA’s **’SPACE to evolve academic assessment: A rubric for analyzing institutional conditions and progress indicators can help institutions identify where they are in their journey towards responsible research assessment and gauge their ability to support interventions and set them up for success. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4927604

The SCOPE Framework, which offers a detailed method supports a need to evaluate your evaluation, particularly as a way to identify unintended consequences that do not come to light until after the evaluation has been performed. You may wish to ask:

UKRI Joint Funders Group and Alternative Uses Group have developed a Shared Evaluation Framework for potential use by funders who are considering, piloting or using a narrative CV approach.

UKRI Joint Funder Group also developed an Equality Impact Assessment and provide completion guidance on how to use it.

For universities, DORA’s “A Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Performing Organizations” can help support a reflective assessment of ongoing and possible changes to research assessment practices. Activity 6 in the guide provides guidance on how one can review current research assessment practices and the following sections explain how changes can be implemented. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15000682

Other resources

Case Studies or Implementation Examples

Many case studies of organisations and groups that used the SCOPE framework are available at https://inorms.net/scope-framework-for-research-evaluation/.