Scientific Culture

Beyond metrics: advancing a culture of fair research assessment

For many years, research assessment relied primarily on metric-based analytics, using citation counts and journal prestige as indicators of scientific quality and impact. Increasingly, however, the academic community has questioned this approach and called for a more responsible use of bibliometric indicators. In 2012, the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) was published, outlining concrete principles for rethinking research evaluation. Since signing DORA in 2016, the University of Bern has ensured qualitative and quantitative assessments of research, recognizing that metrics alone may not capture the full picture. We responsibly employ publication-based metrics, according to specific contexts and goals, as a part of a broad portfolio assessment that welcomes career diversity and aims to guarantee equal opportunities.

Following the implementation of DORA, the University of Bern continues to build on its original commitments. In March 2026, it also signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment and the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information. Through these steps, the University reaffirms its commitment to these goals and continues to advance a research culture grounded in excellence, integrity, and fairness.

Learn more about DORA at the University of Bern in the video below.

The evolution of research assessment

Over the past fifteen years, the academic community has strongly advocated for reforming the ways in which research, researchers, and research organizations are evaluated.

Traditional assessment approaches rely heavily on publication-based metrics such as the h-index and the Journal Impact Factor. While these bibliometric indicators are useful for assessing research activity at an aggregate level – for example, for institutes, departments, or universities – they fall short when evaluating individual researchers. First, they fail to capture the full scope of a researcher’s contributions or the actual impact of their work. Second, these metrics are vulnerable to external influences, such as parental leave, illness, or other personal constraints, that should not negatively affect career progression. Third, their statistical reliability is limited when applied to small, individual-level datasets.

An excessive or unbalanced reliance on bibliometric indicators can further fuel a “publish or perish” culture, prioritizing quantity over quality and potentially undermining the integrity of academic research.

In response to these challenges, the academic community launched the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) in 2012, followed by the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA) in 2022, led by the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). These initiatives aim not only to improve assessment methodologies but also to drive a broader cultural shift that redefines research evaluation, fosters equitable academic careers, and promotes inclusivity.