Integrating research assessment into the university curriculum

The integration of research assessment into university curricula represents a critical and underdeveloped dimension of responsible research systems. While research ethics and research integrity are widely embedded in higher education, the mechanisms that evaluate and reward research remain largely external to formal education. This disconnect limits researchers’ ability to critically engage with the systems that shape scientific value, career trajectories, and institutional priorities. This position paper advances the concept of research assessment literacy as a core academic competency and situates it within an “ethical arc” linking research ethics, research integrity, and research assessment. Drawing on global policy frameworks and aligning with the CoARA-ERIP self-evaluation framework, the paper conceptualises research assessment as a value-driven, system-level practice that requires coherence between institutional governance, academic practice, and the lived experience of researchers and learners. Building on this alignment, the paper argues for a structured and longitudinal integration of research assessment into curricula across all academic levels. It highlights the importance of embedding values such as integrity, openness, fairness, and responsibility within both educational and institutional processes, and emphasises the role of self-evaluation methodologies in identifying misalignments between policy, practice, and experience. Particular attention is given to the implications of digital transformation and artificial intelligence, which are reshaping both research production and evaluation. The paper outlines pedagogical models, institutional implications, and policy recommendations for higher education institutions, funders, and international coalitions. It concludes that embedding research assessment into education, in alignment with institutional self-evaluation and reform processes, is essential for fostering transparent, equitable, and context-sensitive research systems aligned with the public good.