Open science: research assessment and FAIR data

The way research is evaluated, a system currently based on the journal impact factor, needs changing. This is the tenet of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), an international movement that promotes the evaluation of research based on its inherent quality rather than the reputation of the journal that publishes it. The UOC, fully committed to open knowledge, joined this initiative so as to put it into practice both in its research activities and within the institution. 

By signing the declaration the UOC has committed to promoting research assessment based on quality and the societal impact of results, looking beyond publication metrics. 

The UOC's signing of DORA came about as the result of significant efforts by an interdisciplinary team made up of teaching and research staff from the Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences and the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), as well as staff from the Library and Learning Resources department, the Strategic Planning Office, the Globalization and Cooperation department and the Research and Innovation department.

The team produced a report, aimed at identifying what the implications of the UOC implementing DORA would be, to which the Research and Innovation Committee gave its approval towards the end of 2018. The team is currently working on analysing institutional changes that would facilitate the UOC's application of the DORA principles.

The UOC is aiming to make sure that, by the year 2030, all the university's research data is generated in line with the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). You can make use of research data from the UOC, and we also offer you other resources to raise awareness about the FAIR data guidelines.