The University complies with DORA’s general principle: 'Do not use journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist’s contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions.'
DORA requires institutions to be explicit about the criteria used to reach decisions in recruitment, funding and promotion and that journal-based metrics and journal impact factors do not inform these decisions. The University is clear to its researchers, especially early-stage investigators, that the content of research outputs is much more important than publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which it is published.
For the purposes of research assessment all research outputs (including Artefacts, Compositions, Creative Projects (“Other”), Designs, Digital videos, Exhibitions, Films, Performances, datasets and software) in addition to research publications are valued by the University. A broad range of impact measures are employed to evaluate research including qualitative indicators of research quality, such as:
Influence on policy and practice;
Rigorous peer-review process;
Peer-reviewed funding;
Reviews of outputs from authoritative sources;
Prizes or awards made to individual research outputs;
Evidence that an output is a reference point for further research beyond the original institution.
How Leeds Arts University has embedded DORA'S Principles
Our REF 2021 Code of Practice articulates how research outputs were selected, which follows the criteria published by REF2021 .
The University makes criteria explicit in recruitment processes and the Recruitment and Selection Procedure states that: “All applicants will be assessed objectively against the selection criteria and only applicants who meet all the essential criteria will be shortlisted”.
The Professorial Policy And Procedure explicitly states the criteria used to gain recognition and promotion based on a range of quality indicators other than journal metrics or the impact factors of journals (such as peer review feedback, and/or impact beyond academia).
For researchers:
We support our researchers by ensuring decisions made in our Research Pathways Panels and Professorial Boards that award resources or promotion are made using explicit criteria which do not include journal metrics and journal impact factors.
The University’s Open Research Policy requires that researchers cite data and outputs created by others properly, and the Ethics Policy requires researchers to acknowledge all contributors to the research.
We promote a range of indicators to our researchers through training events and training films and encourage researchers to draw upon a breadth of quality indicators, such as peer review feedback and being a reference point for further research.
We encourage our researchers to think critically about metrics through our training events and resources on open research, wherein we discuss the limitations of Journal Impact Factors and argue for the benefits of peer review and other indicators of quality.