Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
What is DORA?
The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) is a global initiative dedicated to improving the ways in which the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated. The declaration was developed in 2012 during the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco. It has become a worldwide initiative covering all scholarly disciplines and all key stakeholders including funders, publishers, professional societies, institutions, and researchers.
McMaster’s commitment
McMaster University signed the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) on March 16, 2026 as part of our commitment to advance societal impact and develop meaningful ways to recognize and reward research contributions beyond traditional metrics.
As outlined in McMaster’s Strategic Research Plan, becoming a DORA signatory reflects our intention to better incentivize, track, assess and reward societal engagement and impact. Strengthening how we evaluate research will enhance our ability to attract top talent, mobilize our knowledge and secure our position as a trusted advisor to policymakers and decision makers.
Key members of Canada’s research ecosystem — including NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR, CFI and Genome Canada — have already signed DORA. By joining these national leaders and thousands of organizations and individuals globally, McMaster affirms its commitment to responsible, holistic and forward looking approaches to research assessment.
In the months ahead, we will review our existing research assessment practices and explore opportunities to build on our culture of responsible research assessment across the university. This is an important first step in a longer process to develop thoughtful, evidence-informed strategies that uphold DORA’s principles and better support the breadth and depth of McMaster’s research excellence.
Information Box Group
McMaster signs Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) Read more
McMaster is the first university in Ontario to sign the agreement, joining a global initiative committed to advancing responsible, forward-looking approaches to research assessment.
Kelly Cobey, Co-Chair of DORA joined Sandra Lapointe, Professor of Philosophy for a conversation and Q&A.