SCOPE Framework for Research Evaluation

The SCOPE framework for research evaluation is a five-stage model for evaluating responsibly. It is a practical step-by-step process designed to help research managers, or anyone involved in conducting research evaluations, in planning new evaluations as well as check existing evaluations. SCOPE is an acronym, where S stands for START with what you value, C for CONTEXT considerations, O for OPTIONS for evaluating, P for PROBE deeply, and E for EVALUATE your evaluation.

Principles of SCOPE

SCOPE Case Studies

Study Link
University of Turku (2023) POLICY FOR RESPONSIBLE ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH AND RESEARCHERS based on SCOPE.

https://www.utu.fi/sites/default/files/public%3A//media/file/Policy%20for%

20responsible%20assessment%20of%20research%20and%20researcher.pdf

Loughborough University (2023) Statement on responsible research assessment at Loughborough University based around SCOPE. https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/support/publishing/responsible-research-assessment/
University of Surrey (2023) Use of SCOPE to develop open research indicators. https://osf.io/v9wm8
Bhattacharjee Suchiradipta, Moumita Koley, Jahnab Bharadwaj (2023). Workshop on Research Assessment Practices in Indian Funding Agencies. Journal of Science Policy & Governance. Vol 22, 1, 2023.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369032650_Workshop_

on_Research_Assessment_Practices_in_Indian_Funding_Agencies

Using SCOPE to select metrics to track improvements in Research Culture: Interim reflections https://sway.office.com
INORMS SCOPE Workshop Case Study: University of Glasgow: Supporting the careers of others. https://inorms.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/inorms-scope-workshop-case-study-university-of-glasgow-final.pdf
INORMS SCOPE Workshop Case Study: Emerald Publishing: Evaluating the diversity of editorial boards https://inorms.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/inorms-scope-workshop-case-study-emerald-publishing-final.pdf
SCOPE Mini Case Study: Creating awareness about responsible research evaluation: SCOPE used in interviews with Higher Education (HE) leaders in Denmark https://inorms.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/danish-universities-use-of-scope-in-interviews-with-danish-he-leaders.pdf
SCOPE Case Study: Oslo Metropolitan University: Lectures in the master’s course “Scholarly Communication” https://inorms.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/oslo-metropolitan-university-use-of-scope-in-masters-program.pdf
INORMS SCOPE Case Study: The UK Higher Education Funding Bodies: Developing a new national research evaluation system https://inorms.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/inorms-scope-case-study-uk-he-funding-bodies-final.pdf

One of the underpinning messages of SCOPE is not to abandon academic rigor when it comes to management practice. Most institutions have expertise in research evaluation – utilize that expertise! To persuade senior leaders of the benefits of responsible research evaluation, the group has also produced a set of arguments, available in several languages:

Five arguments to persuade HE Leaders to evaluate research responsibly (Translations: Chinese, Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Brazilian Portuguese)

The INORMS Research Evaluation Group can be invited to facilitate a workshop on the SCOPE process, for more information, please contact the chair [e.a.gadd@lboro.ac.uk].

For news coverage of this work, please see our Outputs & Outreach page.

Any feedback you have on this work, including any local implementations of the SCOPE process, can be emailed to any of the INORMS Research Evaluation Group members.

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