The evaluation of research and researchers holds significant weight as it directs the conduct of research. Responsible evaluation is a crucial element in responsible research.
LUT University has signed the DORA declaration. This declaration provides guidelines for conducting research for organizations, researchers, and other stakeholders in the research field. DORA, among other things, guides universities to openly and clearly define the criteria for recruitment, career paths, and promotion decisions, and to consider all research outputs, their value, and impact in research evaluation, in addition to research publications.
The national recommendation for responsible researcher evaluation is part of the open science declaration, and LUT University is automatically committed to it. The general principles of researcher evaluation listed in the national recommendation are:
Transparency: Evaluation is conducted as transparently as possible and carefully documented.
Integrity: Evaluation work follows the recognized practices of the research community.
Fairness: Evaluatees are treated equally and impartially.
Competence: Evaluators have the necessary expertise for the evaluation.
Diversity: Evaluation considers the diversity of research and outputs.
The recommendation targets the evaluation of individual researchers, but the same principles apply when evaluating larger units. As part of the national recommendation, there is also a recommendation for the responsible use of publication metrics.
LUT University has also joined CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment), a European coalition for reforming research evaluation. Each organization that signs CoARA creates its own plan for achieving the goals. The agreement focuses on actions that promote the diversity, openness, and non-discrimination of research work and its evaluation, thereby enhancing the quality and impact of science and research.