DORA
What is DORA?
DORA, the Declaration on Research Assessment, calls for a responsible approach to evaluating scientific research results through publication‑based performance assessment. The declaration has been signed worldwide by more than 27,000 individuals and organizations, including TUM.
The core demands of DORA can be summarized as follows:
- Responsible use of bibliometric indicators
- Consistency, transparency, and adequacy of the metrics applied
- Special precautions when using metrics in hiring, promotion, and funding/allocation decisions
- Recognition of different types of academic output
- Consideration of differences in disciplinary publication and citation practices, as well as academic age
You can find all details on the DORA website.
DORA at TUM
TUM signed DORA in 2022. Implementing the DORA recommendations aligns with the principles of good scientific practice as they are defined in the TUM statutes (PDF, in German).
Criteria for the DORA‑compliant use of metrics:
- Use of standardized indicators
- Transparent data basis and assessment
- Application of appropriate metrics, e.g., author metrics for authors, journal metrics for journals
Criteria for non‑compliant use of metrics according to DORA:
- Cross‑disciplinary comparisons without normalization
- Use of the Journal Impact Factor to assess individual articles or researchers
- Use of the h‑index without considering discipline or academic age
- Use of metrics with unclear calculation methods, such as the “cumulative impact factor”
Guidelines & Support
Guidelines for all those involved in performance evaluation
Use our guidelines for concise information on DORA and on responsible research assessment with bibliometric indicators at TUM:
- Guidelines and Checklist for the Responsible Use of Bibliometric Indicators at the Technical University of Munich
Summary of the DORA project at the TUM including links to the relevant guidelines, examples, and further help - Personal Scientific Impact: Methods to Determine the Scientific Impact of Authors
List of appropriate and not suitable indicators for assessing the scientific relevance of researchers’ publications and for comparing their performance
Guidelines for authors
Use our guidelines for essential information on how to sustainably shape your own bibliometric fingerprint and on responsible, DORA‑compliant research assessment at TUM:
- Academic Identity Management: Create and Maintain your Author Profiles in Literature Databases
Anleitung für Forschende zum Anlegen bzw. Pflegen von Autorenprofilen in Literatur- und Zitationsdatenbanken - Personal Scientific Impact: Methods to Determine the Scientific Impact of Authors
List of appropriate and not suitable indicators for assessing the scientific relevance of researchers’ publications and for comparing their performance
Support
If you have any questions about DORA or DORA‑compliant research assessment, please contact us: