Open Humanities Manifesto - Reforming research assessment in the humanities

The presentation “Open Humanities Manifesto – Reforming Research Assessment in the Humanities” was delivered at the RESSH 2025 Conference (Research Evaluation in the Social Sciences and Humanities), held on 11–13 June 2025 at the University of Helsinki, Finland, under the theme “Reforming research assessment in the social sciences, humanities and arts”.

The talk introduces the Open Humanities Manifesto (OHM), a bottom-up initiative drafted collaboratively by researchers, librarians, and publishers in Poland as a response to ongoing debates on Open Science and research assessment reform in Europe. While Open Science reforms are often perceived by scholars as externally imposed by funders and policymakers, the OHM highlights the role of grassroots initiatives in shaping responsible and sustainable evaluation practices. Rooted in the principles of the OPERAS Research Infrastructure and aligned with international frameworks such as CoARA, DORA, and Plan S, the OHM underscores the intrinsic alignment of the humanities with openness, multilingualism, and bibliodiversity.

The manifesto identifies the shortcomings of existing evaluation systems, which fail to adequately recognize and reward Open Science practices in the humanities, thereby hindering their broader adoption. In response, it sets out four key recommendations:

1. Acknowledging and supporting Open Science practices in research assessment and science policy, including open access publishing, FAIR data sharing, open educational resources, and citizen science.

2. Recognizing the diversity of research outputs in the humanities by establishing clear evaluation criteria for forms of communication beyond articles and monographs, reflecting their scholarly and social value.

3. Supporting and sustaining open publishing models through systemic policies and funding programs for academic publishers transitioning toward open science.

4. Strengthening national Open Science infrastructures to foster internationalization, visibility, and integration with initiatives such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

By embedding these principles into evaluation frameworks, the OHM advocates for a scholarly communication system that removes economic and prestige barriers, fosters equitable knowledge exchange, and empowers society to respond more effectively to contemporary crises. The presentation situates the OHM within the broader history of Open Science advocacy, analyses its reception among different stakeholders, and outlines pathways for expanding its influence both nationally and internationally.

Ultimately, the OHM is presented as a strategic intervention that not only advances Open Science in the humanities but also contributes to shaping more inclusive, qualitative, and context-sensitive research assessment models.