The Future of Research Evaluation: A Synthesis of Current Debates and Developments

This synthesis report is published by the ISC's think tank, the Centre for Science Futures, along with partners, the Global Young Academy and the InterAcademy Partnership.

The Future of Research Evaluation: A Synthesis of Current Debates and Developments

A question widely debated by stakeholders around the world is whether current research evaluation systems are effective in identifying high-quality research and in supporting the advancement of science. Over recent years, concerns have risen about the limitations and potential biases of traditional evaluation metrics which often fait to capture the full range of research impact and quality. Consequently there has been an increased demand by stakeholders to reform current research evaluation systems.

The debates around the reform of research evaluation focus on various aspects of evaluation including the need for different and inclusive evaluation criteria, the role of peer review and the use of open science. Some have pointed out the need to shift from focusing on journal metrics to a more comprehensive and qualitative assessment of research impact including collaboration, data sharing, community engagement…

The Future of Research Evaluation gives a review of the current state of research evaluation systems and discusses the most recent actions, response and initiatives taken by different stakeholders through several case examples from around the world.  The goal of this discussion paper is to contribute to the ongoing debates and open questions on the future of research evaluation.

A summary of the issues identified, actions taken and remaining open questions based on the report  can be found in the infographic on the Centre for Science Futures website.

The Future of Research Evaluation: A Synthesis of Current Debates and Developments

A review of the current state of research evaluation systems and discusses the most recent actions, response and initiatives taken by different stakeholders through several case examples from around the world.


Image by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash

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