Beyond Metrics: Ethics-by-Design in Research Information Systems

Author(s)
FernUniversität in Hagen
FernUniversität in Hagen
Keywords

research information ...

current research info...

ethics

eFIS (Ethical Researc...

GDPR

responsible research ...

Issue Date
May 21, 2026
Publisher
euroCRIS
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Despite their growing influence, CRIS are predominantly discussed from technical, organisational, or standardisation-oriented perspectives, focusing on interoperability, data quality, and compliance with reporting frameworks such as CERIF or national research information standards. In contrast, the ethical dimensions of CRIS remain largely underexplored. This gap is striking given that CRIS routinely process personal and evaluative data and embed metric-based logics that may affect hiring decisions, funding allocations, and institutional rankings.
Building on insights from computer ethics and information ethics, this paper argues that CRIS should be conceptualised as value-laden socio-technical systems rather than neutral data infrastructures. Foundational work by Moor and Floridi demonstrates that information technologies inevitably embody normative assumptions through their architectures, classifications, and decision-support mechanisms. More recent research on ethics-by-design and responsible innovation emphasises the need to integrate ethical principles proactively into system design instead of addressing ethical issues only retrospectively.
Description
11 slides.-- Presentation delivered within CRIS2026 session "Advancing Research Information Systems: Interoperability, Ethics, and the Role of Libraries".-- Includes extended abstract
URI
https://dspacecris.eurocris.org/handle/11366/10227
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CRIS2026_Azeroual-Schöpfel-Störl_slides_Beyond-Metrics.pdf

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