Tag: quality assessment
(Paper) mills: how to deal with them?
What?
(Paper) mills are fraudulent companies that produce and sell scientific manuscripts or derivatives thereof. For example, they offer unjustified authorship of a (often fake) paper, you can buy a fake (positive) peer review or extra citations to falsely increase the impact of your work. You can even buy completely …
Read moreAssess the quality of a scholarly journal
Researchers can choose from tens of thousands of scholarly journals to disseminate their research results. It's not always easy to find out which ones are reliable.
General guidelines- Think. Check. Submit is a checklist to help you identify trustworthy journals and publishers.
- Have (many of) your trusted peers published in …
Clinical trial: how do I evaluate the quality?
There are various free, internationally accredited and used tools (i.e. scales and checklists) for evaluating the quality of clinical studies. More information is available on the webpages of the Knowledge Centre for Health Ghent (Question: How do I evaluate the quality of a clinical study?).
Read moreCritical reading: the CRAAP test
You want to base your academic, scientific research on scientifically sound sources. Often, the publisher already gives you an insight into how reliable the source is; publishers of A1-journals, for instance, already peer-review their articles. Academic libraries collect scientific literature, etc.
However, you can also find many interesting sources on …
Delivering research integrity training: 7 knowledge clips for trainers and teachers
The knowledge clips on delivering training in research integrity: a series of 7 clips for (future) trainers and teachers
In total there are 7 knowledge clips available. They are all in English.
Knowledge clip 1 - presentation: the basics
Knowledge clip 2 - presentation: the trainer's perspective
Knowledge clip 3 …
Read moreEvidence-based guideline: how can I evaluate the quality?
The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation Instrument (AGREE II) is a general tool for authors and users of guidelines to evaluate the methodological quality of clinical guidelines. The AGREE II tool is available in different languages, including Dutch and English.
Read moreGenAI: Using (Gen)AI for peer review and evaluations
Generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly becoming part of our daily lives, and (Gen)AI applications can be used for many different tasks. However, this does not mean that its use is always permitted or that it is ethical and responsible. Are you allowed to use (Gen)AI to evaluate an article, research …
Read moreHijacked journals: how to avoid them?
What?
Hijacked journals are fake online copies of existing journals. It is a form of identity theft in which unsuspecting scientists submit an article for publication and end up in a situation of extortion. You can read exactly how hijacked journals work on the intranet.
How can … Read more
Journal: what does "peer-reviewed" mean?
It is essential to researchers to publish in peer-reviewed journals. A peer review means that the quality of the research will be assessed by colleagues (usually before publication). Some monograph publishers also work with peer review, which means that the quality of the books they publish has been assessed by …
Read morePeer review: what is it?
Peer review (sometimes also called ‘expert review’ or ‘merit review) implies that colleagues (‘peers’) assess the research of other scholars, groups of scholars or entire institutions. Peer review is considered an effective way of safeguarding the quality of research. All researchers are involved in peer review: as the person to …
Read morePublish: how to submit an article in a scholarly journal?
How do you get your article published in a journal? How do you choose the right journal?
The Knowledge Center for Health Ghent (KCGG) lists several tips on getting published for the medical sciences. Here's a selection of generally applicable tips.
How do you select a journal? Criterion Tools Content Read moreResearch assessment: guideline for responsible evaluation
Each research evaluation at Ghent University adheres to eight principles, which together ensure that research can be evaluated in a responsible and high-quality manner.
More on Responsible research assessment
1. The evaluation is necessaryV It is necessary, useful and meaningful for Ghent University to organize this evaluation at this …
Read moreResearch assessment: guidelines when using quantitative indicators (for evaluation organisers)
In general
There are many quantitative indicators, and new ones are still being developed. Examples of quantitative indicators include: the number of (scholarly) publications, number of citations, citation impact (normalized), number of downloaded (open access) papers, number of users of deposited datasets, number of mentions of a study/publication on social …
Read moreResearch assessment: How can you evaluate a science team?
Where possible, Ghent University's vision on research evaluation is also applied to the evaluation of science teams. This is the case, for example, with the Interdisciplinary Research Consortia aimed at societal impact (IDC). Some teams are not formally evaluated, but are looking for inspiration to evaluate their work on …
Read moreResearch assessment: tips for researchers who want to use quantitative indicators in their CV, project application, etc.
There are many quantitative indicators, and new ones are still being developed. Examples of quantitative indicators include: the number of (scholarly) publications, number of citations, citation impact (normalized), number of downloaded (open access) papers, number of users of deposited datasets, number of mentions of a study/publication on social media and/or …
Read moreResearch assessment: what are ARRA and CoARA?
The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) brings together research institutions, research funders, national accreditation agencies, scientific academies and their umbrella organizations, all aiming for a global reform of how research and researchers are evaluated. All CoARA members have signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA). Central to …
Read moreResearch assessment: what is DORA?
The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) is a global initiative intended to guide the way in which research is assessed at the point of recruitment and promotion, and in the awarding of project funding. Since 2012, all actors involved in the evaluation of research – research performing and …
Read moreResearch integrity for trainers: knowledge clip 1 (of 7): the basics
This knowledge clip is intended for (potential) trainers and teachers in research integrity. There are 6 more knowledge clips - see further in this tip for more background.
Knowledge clip 1: the basics
Knowledge clip 1 is a general and rather theoretical introduction about what research integrity is, and …
Read moreResearch integrity for trainers: knowledge clip 2 (of 7): the trainer perspective
This knowledge clip is intended for (potential) trainers and teachers in research integrity. There are 6 more knowledge clips - see further in this tip for more background.
Knowledge clip 2: the trainer perspective
In order to make a successful training module, stand-alone or as part of another course, …
Read moreResearch integrity for trainers: knowledge clip 3 (of 7): the good researcher
This knowledge clip is intended for (potential) trainers and teachers in research integrity. There are 6 more knowledge clips - see further in this tip for more background.
Knowledge clip 3: the good researcher
In the exercise ‘the good researcher’ the trainees identify the characteristics of a good researcher. …
Read moreResearch integrity for trainers: knowledge clip 4 (of 7): the lab
This knowledge clip is intended for (potential) trainers and teachers in research integrity. There are 6 more knowledge clips - see further in this tip for more background.
Knowledge clip 4: the lab
This clip contains the exercise “The lab – who and what“. The movie and roleplay “The …
Read moreResearch integrity for trainers: knowledge clip 5 (of 7): the dilemma game
This knowledge clip is intended for (potential) trainers and teachers in research integrity. There are 6 more knowledge clips - see further in this tip for more background.
Knowledge clip 5: the dilemma game
The Dilemma Game has been developed by Erasmus University Rotterdam to stimulate awareness of research …
Read moreResearch integrity for trainers: knowledge clip 6 (of 7): the middle position
This knowledge clip is intended for (potential) trainers and teachers in research integrity. There are 6 more knowledge clips - see further in this tip for more background. Knowledge clip 6: the middle position
One of the most interesting and meaningful things to do in a research integrity training …
Read moreResearch integrity for trainers: knowledge clip 7 (of 7): closure
This knowledge clip is intended for (potential) trainers and teachers in research integrity. There are 6 more knowledge clips - see further in this tip for more background.
Knowledge clip 7: closure
This clip gives some inspiration on how to close or wrap up a workshop or class on …
Read moreResearch Integrity: a suspicion of violation - now what?
The continuum from good to bad
Research integrity is about quality: how can I make my research better, more nuanced, robust or reliable? Good research practices contribute to this.
If a research action compromises the quality of the work, we refer to this as bad research practices.
…
Read moreResearch Integrity: attending training - the basics (online training tool Mind the GAP)
Adhering to the principles of research integrity is crucial for the quality and reliability of research. To take on that role in a conscious and proper way, developing your research skills (and thus attending training) is very important.
For this reason, Ghent University offers training for all its employees, ranging …
Read moreResources: where to find information on retracted or contested publications?
Why is this important?
Knowledge accumulation is a fundamental principle in science and forms the basis for progress and innovation. Through a continuous process, knowledge is acquired, deepened, broadened and revised. This process enables researchers to continuously ask new questions and solve complex problems. This involves building on past research …
Read moreRetraction Watch: what is it?
Retraction Watch, acquired by Crossref in September 2023, is a database that lists retracted (retractions) or corrected (corrections) publications, or publications with an expressions of concern. A blog is connected to the database, highlighting some of the retracted publications. Though Retraction Watch only started in 2010, older publications can …
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