Updated 6 May 2025

Invitation to Participate in a Survey on the Use of Metrics and Indicators

The CoARA Working Group on Responsible Metrics and Indicators (RMI WG) has launched a new survey to explore how metrics and indicators are currently used in research assessment across CoARA member institutions and beyond. Open to all research institutions, the survey aims to investigate the status quo of indicator use in research evaluation. The survey will inform the development of an integrative framework that balances quantitative metrics with qualitative assessment methods.

Click here to participate in the survey and share your institution’s practices and perspective!

🗓️ Deadline: 8 June 2025
📍 Target audience: Institutions and individuals involved in research assessment, including research managers, policy makers, administrators, and academics.

The aim of the survey is to map the status quo for the use of metrics and indicators in research activities across institutions, offering a comprehensive view of existing practices in order to support institutions in adopting more responsible, transparent, and effective research evluation practices aligned with CoARA’s principles. Contributions are expected to reflect institutional practices, guidelines, and experiences with research assessment. Whether your institution is a CoARA member or not, your input is valuable! Your contribution will directly inform our efforts to create a fairer, more holistic research assessment ecosystem. Thank you for supporting this vital work.

Want to become a member of the RMI WG? 

• Members of the WG are CoARA members (i.e., institutions), represented by a concrete person. 
• Experts of the WG are individual persons who are experts in the field, but are not officially representing a CoARA member. The WG can (proactively) contact them for consultation. 
• Friends of the WG are generally interested persons who want to simply stay informed. 

Get in touch: Github. There you can find all contacts and instructions on how to join or contribute to the working group.

The WG has three objectives, tackled in three stages (Oct. 23 – Sept. 25):

• Stage 1: Assessing the status quo: Which indicators are currently employed?
  We investigate this across varied disciplines and cultural contexts, specifically in the evaluation of researchers, awards, institutional assessments, and the progression of scientific advancement (like tenure, PhD, habilitation, professor titles, etc.). Starting with CoARA members, institutions are asked to provide information on their current usage of indicators via a structured survey.
• Stage 2: Critical evaluation of the indicators and recommendations. Based on the survey results, we develop guiding questions and recommendations (2a) when to use indicators (and when not),and (2b) how to integrate their usage with qualitative modes of assessment. This could be a decision path diagram, and will not be a “one size fits all” recommendation.
• Stage 3: Strategic plan for dissemination of recommendations. Share findings, strategies, and recommendations with a wider audience, emphasizing their applicability across disciplines and cultures.

Current status of the WG

• Indicator survey in preparation  
• Landing page: https://github.com/rachelHey/metricsWG 

Next steps 

• April 2024 – distribution of the Indicator Survey among all members of the RMI WG 
• Autumn 2024 – distribution of the Indicator Survey among all members of CoARA 

Planned meetings, deliverables 

• General meeting on Monday, 2023-12-18; then quarterly meetings