Shaping culture through responsible research assessment
At the University of Bath, we believe in the importance of fostering a culture that recognises research excellence in all its forms. How we assess research shapes the kind of academic environment we create and influences the innovation, collaboration, and impact that follow.
The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) offers a timely and transformative framework for achieving this —moving beyond narrow metrics and toward a more inclusive, responsible, and forward-looking approach to research evaluation. Research metrics such as the h-index were proposed in 2005 to measure an author’s influence through citations. Over time, these metrics have been extended to journals and used as proxies for quality. Yet DORA recognises that these indices are flawed, they can be manipulated by journals, are highly field specific and are not a good way to assess research and researchers. This challenges us to move away from our reliance on journal-based metrics towards a more balanced and contextualised understanding of excellence.
The University of Bath is a recent signatory to DORA and as such we recognise that this commitment requires us to rethink how we assess research and researchers. Senate’s approval of Bath’s refreshed Principles for Research Assessment and Management marks an important milestone in this process. To support implementation, we are launching new responsible research assessment (RRA) guidance and training materials in January 2026 to help our colleagues across the institution to understand how we will be assessing research on its own merits—its originality, rigour, and relevance—rather than the prestige of the publication venue.
This shift is essential if we are to foster a culture that truly supports excellence, innovation, and societal impact. We are also very conscious that we want to implement this in a way that doesn’t adversely affect workloads for colleagues. The new materials have been designed to make adoption straightforward and supportive.
At Bath, we want to drive an excellent research environment that delivers high quality outputs and publications that demonstrate the best originality, significance and rigour. We continue to encourage colleagues to publish their best work and signing DORA reinforces our focus on quality over quantity. This approach also aligns Bath’s research practices with global trends in responsible research and innovation, that enhances our reputation with funders and partners and supports our mission to deliver research with impact.
DORA encourages institutions to recognise a broader range of outputs, including datasets, software, policy engagement, and public scholarship. This is particularly important as we seek to demonstrate the real-world value of our research and its contribution to national and global priorities.
It also supports our commitment to building a more equitable and inclusive research environment. Traditional metrics often disadvantage early-career researchers, interdisciplinary scholars, and those working in emerging fields. By adopting fairer and more transparent assessment practices, we create space for diverse talent to thrive—strengthening Bath’s intellectual vitality and long-term sustainability.
Implementing DORA also gives Bath the opportunity to lead by example. We are working on embedding its principles into promotion and selection criteria for posts, funding decisions, and strategic planning. The new RRA guidance and training materials will help colleagues across the institution understand how to best implement these principles effectively and consistently. Our Departments, Faculties and School of Management are encouraged to reflect on their own assessment practices and consider how they can best support responsible research assessment locally. Many leading universities and funders around the world have been signatories to DORA for some time. It is important that we now embrace this direction of travel and understand what it means for us. We should see signing DORA as a catalyst for positive change and an opportunity to enhance the integrity, inclusivity, and impact of our research.
I would be grateful for your support – as senior leaders, as assessors, and as colleagues supporting assessment across the institution - in engaging with what the guidance and training means for you and helping us to position Bath for the future.
