How research is assessed by funders shapes what research gets done. For many in the ASCB community – whether applying for funding, reviewing proposals, or serving on advisory committees – this is a familiar reality. To support change in this area, DORA (Declaration on Research Assessment), in collaboration with the Global Research Council Responsible Research Assessment Working Group and Science Europe, has recently launched: A Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Funding Organizations.

Download Guide Here

What is the Guide about?

The Guide is designed as a practical, action‑oriented resource to help research funders move from high‑level commitments to concrete implementation of more responsible research assessment (RRA). It complements DORA’s earlier Practical Guide for Research Performing Organizations (RPOs), which focused on universities and research institutions and has already been translated to Japanese and Portuguese.

Alongside the Guide, the GRC RRA Working Group has also developed a Self‑Assessment Tool for funders, which helps organizations reflect on their current assessment practices, identify gaps, and plan context‑specific steps toward implementing RRA.

Download Self-Assessment Tool Here

Why does this matter for cell biologists?

Traditional evaluation systems often rely heavily on publication‑based metrics such as journal impact factors and citation counts. While useful in some contexts, these indicators alone do not capture:

• the full range of contributions (e.g. data sharing, mentorship, collaboration),
• the quality and rigor of research practices,
• or societal and interdisciplinary impact.

For cell biologists whose work increasingly spans disciplines, technologies, and collaborations this creates tensions between what is valued and what is needed to advance science. These tensions led to the creation of DORA back in Cell Bio 2012.

The Guide responds to this by promoting practical approaches that live to RRA values:

• take a holistic view of research contributions,
• value quality over quantity,
• and support equity, diversity, and inclusion in assessment practices.

What’s inside?

The Guide offers:

• Practical activities and intervention points across the funding lifecycle
• Real‑world case studies from funders globally
• Guidance on key moments such as call design, peer review, and funding decisions
• Links to tools and resources to support implementation

It is designed to be flexible and adaptable, recognising that no single model fits all funding systems or research contexts.

Why should ASCB members care?

Even if you are not directly working in a funding organisation, you are likely already part of the system this Guide seeks to improve. The ideas in the Guide are highly relevant for:

• Grant reviewers, assessing diverse contributions fairly
• Committee members, shaping funding criteria and policies
• Institutional leaders, aligning local practices with funder expectations
• Researchers, navigating evolving expectations around research quality and impact

Ultimately, responsible research assessment is about ensuring that high-quality science is encouraged and enabled, including work that is rigorous, collaborative, open, and socially relevant.

Learn more

• Launch events of the new Guide for Funders
• Practical Guide for Research Funding Organizations
• Practical Guide for Research Performing Organizations

As conversations around research culture and reproducibility continue to evolve, resources like this aim to support a shift toward fairer, more meaningful ways of evaluating research and researchers, a shift that many in the ASCB community are already helping to lead.

Connect with DORA 

The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) is an initiative that operates under ASCB. You can sign DORA at sfdora.org/sign and follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky for more updates. If you have improved assessment practices at your institution, please share your story with us at info@sfdora.org.