Statement of Commitment to the Declaration on Research Assessment

In February 2019, the University Research Committee approved the Research Indicators (Metrics) Policy to promote responsible use of research metrics at the University of Wolverhampton. 

With this policy the University demonstrates its support for DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment) to which the University became a signatory in 2020.

DORA is an internationally agreed set of principles which outline how metrics, especially journal metrics, can be used ‘responsibly'.  Its main principles are:

  • the need to eliminate the use of journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, in funding, appointment, and promotion considerations
  • the need to assess research on its own merits rather than on the basis of the journal in which the research is published
  • the need to capitalise on the opportunities provided by online publication (such as relaxing unnecessary limits on the number of words, figures, and references in articles, and exploring new indicators of significance and impact

The University’s mission is to maximise opportunity through generating knowledge, innovation and enterprise. It is committed to the DORA principles and maintaining a research environment founded on the highest standards of ethics, integrity and a responsibility to our core values:

Collaborative - We have a responsibility to collaborate and to be clear in the way we interact with each other, guiding the decisions we make

Ambitious – To be a progressive and influential sector leader enhancing economic impact and accelerating ambition across the entire University community.

Respectful – We will behave respectfully and ethically in all that we do. We will be inclusive and fair in our interaction with each other

Effective – We will act professionally and transparently when engaging with our communities locally and globally.

Research Indicators (Metrics) Policy

The University of Wolverhampton will avoid any implication that citation-based indicators or alternatives “measure” the quality of research. It will seek to use the term “Indicator” in preference to “metric” or “measure” as part of this. This reflects that indicators can give indirect information about likely scholarly or other impacts but never directly measure them.

The policy promotes responsible use of research indicators and has been informed by the three most important sources of best practice guidance and advice: