Promoting and engaging in open science and research benefits researchers. Activities within open science constitute academic merits, foster collaborations, and enhance the dissemination of research outcomes and processes. Moreover, openness and transparency are central in various situations and processes when researchers, research and teaching are evaluated. Examples of evaluation processes include assessing merits in recruitment, advancement within the career system, and applications for the title of docent.

Guidelines for researchers, teachers, and evaluators of researchers and research

• A diversity of research and teaching activities and outcomes are acknowledged as academic merits. This includes publications, datasets, research methods, educational resources and teaching methods, collaboration, and more. Promoting and engaging in open science and research constitute academic merits.
• Staff and affiliated participating in processes for career development, recruitment and other assessments of research and teaching should ensure that the diversity of research and teaching activities are acknowledged as merits, including engaging in and promoting open science.
• Those being assessed receive information about the criteria according to which their research and teaching activities, including activities and merits in open science, are assessed in career development, recruitment and other assessment situations.

Guidelines for the organisation

• The aim of assessment is to support the quality and impact of research. An assessment of research and researchers’ merits should be justified.
• ÅAU acknowledges diverse research and teaching activities, including those promoting open science, as merits in the assessment of researchers and teachers in career development and recruitment.
• ÅAU follows international and national principles for good practices in the assessment of researchers and research. The assessment criteria are transparent, and the organisation develops appropriate models for knowledge base to ensure that the processes support responsible assessment.
• ÅAU follows international and national principles for responsible use of publication metrics. Journal-based metrics are only used together with other methods and a qualitative overall assessment.