Methodological guidelines for assessing digital contributions and ethical research assessment in the digital age

These guidelines set out how researchers, institutions, and evaluators can conduct research assessment ethically where data and artificial intelligence are involved, in forms that can be built into assessment tools, including self-assessment tools. They are deliverable 2.3 of Workstream 2 of CoARA-ERIP. The guidelines draw together the instruments the working group has developed and piloted: the CoARA-ERIP checklist for self-evaluation for administrators, faculty, and students; the SE4RA global research protocol, survey instrument, and focus group discussion guide; the position paper on integrating research assessment into the university curriculum; and the SE4RA reflection toolkit. They are organised in five sets: institutional self-evaluation across governance, practice, and experience; the assessment of digital contributions through evidence mapping; the assessment of AI-supported work; the study of assessment practice through mixed methods; and the building of research assessment literacy. A further section states the requirements that assessment tools must meet to carry the guidelines faithfully. The guidelines apply the values and principles of the policy framework (deliverable 2.1) and the framework for assessing digital contributions (deliverable 2.2).