Input Requested: Research data as part of hiring, tenure & promotion
John Chodacki
Seeking resources for the evaluation of research and scholarly data in institutional processes
The Working Group ‘Implementing data evaluation in academia’ by HELIOS Open and Make Data Count is working to develop implementation guides for the evaluation of research and scholarly data as part of hiring, tenure & promotion, and other institutional processes. To inform our work, we are collecting resources from institutions and organizations that have considered and/or implemented review and recognition of data contributions.
If you know of resources about data evaluation and recognition at your institution or in other organizations, please share those with us by completing this brief form. We also welcome perspectives from those involved in conversations about institutional consideration of data contributions to learn more about needs and challenges toward implementation of data evaluation.
We will review available resources over the coming month, so we welcome submissions via the form ideally by April 25. If you have resources to share beyond that date or if you would like to discuss your experience with data evaluation in greater detail, please feel to contact us at in...@makedatacount.org.
Thank you in advance for helping us create guiding recommendations for institutions in this important area. Your resources will help us build on the work of researchers, administrators and institutions that are leading the way in incorporating data in their evaluation processes.
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Data contributions should be recognized to better align evaluation processes to the principles of open science that support sharing and use of a wide range of research outputs, including datasets.
Including data as research contributions in their own right aligns with the recognition for rigor and reproducibility in research, and efforts to uphold integrity in research practices.
Evaluation processes need to include contributions beyond journal publications if they are to account for the variety of activities researchers contribute to, data is a key element to include as it constitutes the backbone for many other outputs such as journal publications or dissertations.
The capacity of researchers to engage with data scholarship will shape the next generation of students and scientists, it is thus a strategic need for institutions to attract, nurture and reward data skills and expertise among their faculty.
The infrastructure for research data has substantially evolved over the last years, making it possible for researchers to regularly share their datasets, and also to capture information about the reach and use of those datasets in ways not possible before.