New Tool Promotes Responsible Hiring, Promotion, and Tenure in Research Institutions

Modern-day approaches to understanding the quality of research and the careers of researchers are often outdated and filled with inequalities. These approaches lack fairness and responsibility, allow strong talent to fall through the cracks, and fail to align with the important values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In a world predicated on making positive steps toward meaningful change, it is increasingly important that research-based institutions follow the progression of time by improving their practices and processes. To help meet this requirement, the DORA Reformscape tool has been created to bring responsibility to the hiring, tenure, and promotion processes at research institutions.

DORA Reformscape is an online tool that can be wielded by anyone in the academic community looking to implement equitable academic career assessment. It provides users with expertly curated insights and access to policies, documents, and action plans from over one hundred institutions from around the world. Regardless of what stage of reform each institution may be at, Reformscape will provide endless opportunities for discovery and improved assessment.

This DORA Reformscape tool is the first of its kind, offering users access to a diverse range of research institutions around the globe. It can be leveraged, according to its designers, to:

• “Source inspiration and detailed examples of what others are doing to learn what might work for your institution.”
• “Benchmark what you’re doing within the wider landscape.”
• “Save time searching for good practice approaches to fairer hiring, promotion and tenure, and evaluating certain faculty roles.”  
• “Celebrate progress and demonstrate you’re acting on signing DORA.”

This tool was created alongside members of the academic community and is one piece of DORA’s Project TARA. To learn more about who this tool is intended to be used by and how it can be utilized and how to arrange the source data, please follow the respective links. Additional examples of institutions that have implemented changes can be found in the following case studies and resource library.

Reformscape is supported by Arcadia, the charitable fund by Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin. For more information, please contact reformscape@sfdora.org.