Research Assessment
Oxford University is committed to fair and responsible research assessment. It participates in the Research Excellence Framework (REF), the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.
Responsible and fair research assessment
The University of Oxford became a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) in 2018, and is committed to implementing the core principles as part of a fair and responsible approach for research assessment.
This work is overseen by Research and Innovation Committee as part of the University’s Research Culture programme, under the priority area of Valuing Contributions. Ongoing projects are listed on our Research Culture pages.
Outputs in the implementation of DORA so far include:
- In Michaelmas term 2019, Research and Innovation Committee approved a set of ten principles to promote responsible use of research metrics at Oxford;
- Development of the University’s REF 2029 and REF 2021 Code of Practice in accordance with DORA;
- Inclusion in Associate Professor inclusive recruitment guidelines;
- Practical guidance for hiring managers, reward panels, and HR advisors, published in 2022.
