With the increasing popularity of preprints, there are ongoing discussions among the research community about the need to apply peer review to help readers navigate new findings. eLife adopted such an approach in 2023, when we launched our model for publishing. The outputs are Reviewed Preprints, which include the original preprint, public reviews and an eLife Assessment that conveys the significance of the findings and strength of evidence, allowing readers to judge the research based on its own merits rather than where it is published.

Due to our efforts to challenge the status quo in publishing, our indexing status in Web of Science changed last year, meaning eLife no longer receives an Impact Factor. This was followed by concerns that eLife papers would no longer count toward funding or career progression opportunities. We therefore spoke to funders and institutions globally to better understand their position, and reported that 95% of respondents still consider eLife papers when evaluating research contributions. Our conversations highlighted that there is less consideration for the Impact Factor than perceived by the research community, and signalled broad support for more open science practices – showing that it’s time to move away from journal metrics in favour of more transparent and meaningful methods of assessment.

In this session, we will talk more about eLife Assessments, our conversations with the community and why it’s time to embrace innovative approaches to research assessment that better serve science and scientists. We also invite further discussion and participation from the audience.

From Principles to Practice: Putting Responsible Research Assessment into Action.

The question is no longer why we need to reform research assessment, but how. This hands-on workshop introduces the Open Infrastructure Checklist, a practical tool developed by the CoARA WG on Open Infrastructures for RRA. Together, we will test its application on real-world services like OpenAIRE’s Researcher Profile, GraspOS Horizon Europe Project, and IOI’s Infra Finder. Join us to co-evaluate, co-create, and shape the future of research assessment, open, ethical, and built to last.

Rethinking Research Assessment for the Age of AI and Open Science

As digital tools and AI reshape research, how do we ensure assessment remains ethical, fair, and fit for purpose? This panel by the CoARA-ERIP Working Group explores new frameworks for evaluating digital and AI-driven research, with a focus on integrity, interdisciplinarity, and societal relevance. Join us to help shape a future of responsible and inclusive research evaluation.

Reimagining Research Assessment: Open Science Values in Action

How can we build fairer, more inclusive research assessment systems? This panel explores how Open Science principles are reshaping Responsible Research Assessment, from narrative CVs to diverse outputs and responsible metrics. Join voices from CoARA, funders, researchers, and infrastructure providers as they share tools, lessons, and visions for future-ready reform.

Advancing the quality and impact of science requires a fundamental reimagining of the practices and criteria used to evaluate researchers and their institutions. The Helmholtz Open Science Office supports the cultural shift toward Open Science within the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific organization. As a signatory of the Coalition on Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) and coordinator of the CoARA National Chapter Germany, the Helmholtz Open Science Office is involved in several activities that aim to reform research assessment.

This contribution describes key initiatives that are currently taking place within the Helmholtz Association. Together, they aim to broaden the recognition of diverse research activities and output formats as valuable scholarly contributions, in alignment with the principles of research integrity and responsible research evaluation. We present the development of a "Quality Indicator for Data and Software Products”, which is designed to capture quality of research outputs beyond traditional text publications and to promote their visibility. In addition, we present the implementation of an award for sustainable research software and the work of a new Helmholtz Task Group on Research Assessment, which provides a platform for the exchange and development of modern and quality-oriented research assessment practices.

Our contribution situates these activities within broader initiatives in Germany, such as the focus area "Digitality in Science" of the Alliance of German Science Organizations, and describes how they interact with international initiatives like CoARA and the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information.

As the open science movement gains momentum, we face a critical paradox: the very frameworks designed to promote transparency and accessibility risk perpetuating the same power imbalances they aim to dismantle. This talk explores the uncomfortable truth about how current monitoring approaches in open science often mirror colonial knowledge production patterns, with the Global North continuing to set standards and metrics for the entire scientific community.
I examine how well-intentioned monitoring frameworks can inadvertently reinforce existing hierarchies in knowledge production. While we generate volumes of "open" research about equity and inclusion, many of these efforts remain tethered to institutions that paradoxically contribute to global inequities. The talk challenges us to move beyond superficial metrics and performative inclusion, advocating instead for a decolonial approach that centres on epistemic justice and acknowledges historical power imbalances in knowledge production.
I propose shifting our focus from quantifying outputs to supporting authentic dialogue about research practices and their broader societal implications. This perspective invites us to critically examine who holds the power to define and measure "openness" in science, and how we might reimagine monitoring frameworks to truly serve the global scientific community.