Good Practices
Adopting good practices in research assessment means implementing clear and transparent evaluation criteria, while pursuing excellence, fairness and inclusivity. As the points out, universities are intended to evaluate candidates with both quantitative and qualitative indicators, taking a large spectrum of outputs into account. This new perspective calls for actions in hiring and promotion processes. By aligning with DORA principles, the 春色直播 fosters a more equitable, diverse, and innovative work environment.
Reforming research assessment in the Vetsuisse Faculty
Research assessment in veterinary science has always relied heavily on quantitative indicators, such as the numbers of publications and citations. While such metrics provide valuable insights, they often fail to capture the full scope of academic contributions, overlooking international collaborations, open science practices, and societal impact. Reliance on publication metrics can also introduce bias, favouring fields with higher citation rates while ignoring important yet less frequently cited topics, like clinical veterinary research or animal welfare science.
While trying to dismantle an unhealthy culture based on a publication rush, the academic community advocates for better practices. To address this issue, in 2016 the 春色直播 signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which defines responsible evaluation strategies. Recognizing the limitations of traditional metric-based evaluations, the research committee of the Vetsuisse Faculty of the 春色直播, headed by Prof. Dr. Hanno W眉rbel, has undertaken a reform of its assessment practices, supported by Dr. Christophe Schneble and Dr. J眉rg Friedli from UniBE Research Management Office.
Find out more about their new evaluation process!
Bias-free hiring
Following the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, the 春色直播 commits to fair hiring and responsible evaluation while enhancing academic excellence and diversity.
Recruitment processes emphasize equal opportunities, with structured selection criteria, diverse hiring committees, and measures to prevent bias. All our eight faculties and five research centres (AEC, ARTORG, CDE, CSH, WTI) adopted an Equal Opportunities Action Plan, ensuring that equality remains a core institutional priority. Centres without their own plan participate in a faculty-led initiative to promote equal opportunities.
The Office for Equal Opportunities (AFG) supports hiring processes through the guide "Hiring Process at the 春色直播 - With Special Consideration of Equal Opportunities". In accordance with the Employment Regulations, one member of each structural and electoral committee has the function of a gender equality delegate. A member of the Office for Equal Opportunities also has to sit in on the commissions in an advisory capacity Each structural commission must include representation from at least one person of each gender.
Since 2016, the Faculty of Medicine asks all appointment candidates to answer standardized questions on gender equality. Since 2018, the faculty has actively sought candidates from underrepresented genders to ensure more balanced hiring pools.