Concordia University has taken a significant step forward in its commitment to fostering impactful and inclusive research practices by signing the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
This global initiative, endorsed by over 25,000 individuals and organizations including Canada's Tri-agency and Québec's Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) advocates for transforming how research is evaluated and recognized.
By signing DORA, Concordia aligns itself with emerging national and international standards while strengthening its commitment to foster a culture of inclusive research excellence. This step also complements Concordia's recently launched Pathways to Impact initiative, which aims to support researchers in amplifying the impact of their work.
Challenging the status quo
DORA advocates for a shift away from over-reliance on journal-based metrics, such as the Journal Impact Factor (JIF), in funding, appointment, and promotion considerations. Instead, it calls for a more holistic assessment of scholarly work, emphasizing the value and impact of all research contributions, including datasets, software, mentoring, collaboration, policy influence, and community engagement.
By adopting DORA's principles, the university commits to improving how research and researchers are assessed. It aims to position Concordia researchers to respond to the emerging opportunities and challenges of this transformation. Such efforts not only enhance researchers' competitiveness in securing grants but align with a global movement recognizing the importance of research impact beyond academia.
"This is a defining moment for Concordia," says Concordia President Graham Carr. "By embracing DORA, we're not just signing a declaration. We're committing to a cultural shift that recognizes and rewards the diverse contributions and impacts of research."
A roadmap for change
DORA's guidelines are already influencing how research in Canada is funded, assessed, and celebrated. In recent weeks, the major federal and provincial funding agencies announced their plan to transition to a narrative-based CV format in all their funding competitions. This format provides for a structured written description of a researcher's contributions and achievements that allows a broad range of relevant skills, experiences and competencies to be reflected.
Concordia's Pathways to Impact initiative offers tools, resources, and expertise centred around diverse avenues of research impact, including support for crafting these audience-focused, evidence-based impact narratives.
The focus on broader contributions and impact is particularly meaningful in fostering equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization. Journal-based metrics have often disadvantaged scholars from underrepresented groups or those working in emerging fields. DORA's emphasis on qualitative assessment across a wider range of contributions helps level the playing field, ensuring that all researchers are fairly recognized for their work.
For students and faculty alike, signing DORA signifies an opportunity to shape a more inclusive and high-impact research culture at Concordia. From doctoral candidates striving to translate their findings into policy recommendations to seasoned faculty engaging open scholarship, pursuing start-ups, or forging community partnerships, DORA provides a framework for diverse pathways to impact.
"DORA will serve as a compass," says Effrosyni Diamantoudi, interim vice-president of research, innovation and impact. "Its principles will guide the university in fostering a research environment where innovation thrives, diverse contributions are celebrated, and impact reaches far beyond the academic sphere."
Learn more about DORA and Concordia's Pathways to Impact.
