An substantial number of institutions and individuals have signed to support the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, which is critical of the use of journal impact factors in assessing research. I find the reasoning behind and suggestions for how (not) to do assessments quite interesting, see examples quotes below.
A tool is provided, Reformscape, “an online tool where you can explore examples of how to bring responsible assessment for hiring, promotion and tenure into your institution, and to share your approach with others.”
There is a pressing need to improve the ways in which the output of scientific research is evaluated by funding agencies, academic institutions, and other parties.To address this issue, a group of editors and publishers of scholarly journals met during the Annual Meeting of The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in San Francisco, CA, on December 16, 2012. The group developed a set of recommendations, referred to as the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment. We invite interested parties across all scientific disciplines to indicate their support by adding their names to this Declaration.
General Recommendation
1. Do not use journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist’s contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions.
For researchers
15. When involved in committees making decisions about funding, hiring, tenure, or promotion, make assessments based on scientific content rather than publication metrics.