Fair procedures for appointments and promotions

This resource presents the Leiden Manifesto, named after the conference at which it was established. Its ten principles are not new to scientometricians but will be a valuable resource for less experienced users when analysing performance metrics, for example evaluators reporting back to university administrators. Abiding by the Manifesto’s ten principles, research evaluation can play an important role in the development of science and its interactions with society. Decision-making relating to science must be based on high-quality processes that are informed by the highest quality data. Research metrics can provide crucial information that might otherwise be difficult to gather or understand. They should not however be considered as a goal in themselves and should only be used as one instrument amongst others when assessing performance. The best decisions using research metrics are taken by combining robust statistics with sensitivity to the aim and nature of the research that is evaluated. The Leiden Manifesto helps institutions to engage in responsible evaluation of research metrics through the provision of these 10 principles.