The state of research assessment

Commissioned by Springer Nature, this global survey gathered insights from over 6,600 researchers to understand their experiences and views on research assessment. The landscape of research assessment has undergone significant scrutiny and transformation over the last 10 years, with several initiatives (e.g., CoARA) in place to improve the ways researchers and their scholarly outputs are evaluated.

The study explored how researchers are evaluated, what outputs and activities are considered, and their aspirations for future assessment practices. Research Consulting worked with Springer Nature to develop and analyse the survey, and report the findings.

Researchers experience evaluation in diverse ways, including large national assessment exercises but also scenarios such as grant applications, faculty-level review, and individual career advancement.

Despite the progress made by initiatives to reform research assessment, most researchers think that metrics-based evaluations are still dominant. These are often narrowly focused on journal publications with little consideration for the other outputs they produce (e.g., datasets).

Interestingly, researchers are mostly positive about their experiences of evaluation. But there are some notable concerns. Many researchers expressed criticisms of existing assessment practices, including concerns about trust in the process, lack of consideration for research impact and quality, and the focus on criteria outside of their control.

Conflicting opinions are evident on the benefits of metrics-based versus qualitative evaluation methods. Most researchers desire a balanced weighting, but this is tensioned by concerns about subjectivity and bias within qualitative assessments, as well as the increased workloads involved.

When asked about the future of research assessment, responses were consistent. In their ideal scenario, research outputs remain prominent, but there is a clear desire to increase consideration of researchers’ positive contributions to society, as well as their wider contributions to research and research culture.

The study provides a robust evidence base for reforming research assessment to better reflect the diverse, meaningful contributions researchers make to science and society.

Find out more at
Springer Nature (2025, April). The state of research assessment: Researcher perspectives on evaluation practices.