No 14, Issue 1       

REDEFINING RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: COARA’S ROLE AS A NORM ENTREPRENEUR IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ASSESSMENT

Luana HUSARIU

pp. 22-33

Abstract

This article addresses CoARA’s  (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment) implicit assuming of a norm entrepreneur role  (concept rooted in the Constructivist International Relations theory), within the broader and ever-changing environment of scientific evaluation. This reconfiguration of research assessment holds the potential to facilitate the attainment of strong knowledge-based economies, while also reshaping the role of science diplomacy in projecting epistemic influence. Through an analytic assessment of the status quo, which is mostly shaped by scientometrics, and by highlighting its limitations, the article emphasizes CoARA’s acquired part in the institutional and epistemic transition towards qualitative research assessment methodologies, primarily peer review – the main tool for unveiling scientific excellence. Drawing on key theoretical frameworks and programmatic documents, the study emphasizes the manner in which CoARA acts as a norm entrepreneur in advocating for reform, when placing peer review as the pillar for effective research evaluation and excellence identification. This transition highlights how the geopolitics of knowledge are shifted, considering that the competition for excellence is complemented by the attempt to redefine the rules of global scientific legitimacy.

Keywords: Research Assessment, Scientometrics, Peer Review, CoARA, Norm Entrepreneurship, Scientific Excellence, Science Diplomacy, Knowledge-Based Economy.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.