Assessment of research performance

"To assess the performance of researchers, a multidimensional approach is called for; in addition to academic and scientific achievements, other aspects may be taken into consideration. Performance is assessed primarily on the basis of qualitative measures, while quantitative indicators may be incorporated into the overall assessment only with appropriate differentiation and reflection. Where provided voluntarily, individual circumstances stated in curricula vitae – as well as the categories specified in the German General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz) – are taken into account when forming a judgement" (DFG Code of Conduct, Guideline 5).

Currently, there are various international initiatives working to reform the research evaluation system.

• Die Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), developed in 2012 at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco, aims to improve the evaluation of scientific research. As a global initiative, it encompasses all scientific disciplines as well as key stakeholders such as funders, publishers, professional societies, institutions, and researchers.
  
• Die Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), an international consortium of 621 member institutions in 51 countries, pursues ten goals to enhance the evaluation of scientific research. The focus is to be shifted more towards ideas and content, rather than quantitative metrics such as publication counts or citation rates. Additionally, CoARA aims to consider the diversity of academic contributions and activities in the evaluation of researchers and their institutions. Working groups within CoARA collaborate to implement these goals and strengthen global confidence in fair and appropriate evaluation of scientific work.