Research performance

The Researcher Dashboard is your new go-to tool for tracking and managing your research profile. Whether you're checking your own progress or exploring university-wide insights, the dashboard makes it easy.

NOTE: the dashboard is restricted to current research active and/or permanent staff members only - please contact the Research Reporting team if you require further information.

Key features include:

• View your FoR (Field of Research) codes and researcher IDs as recorded in IRMA
• Monitor your research funding and grant applications
• Stay on top of your research outputs and citation metrics
• Discover research partnerships and explore potential collaborators

The following are pages that you can navigate (from the left-hand side menu):

• Researcher Information:
  • Check Researcher identifiers (ORCID, ScopusID, WoS Researcher ID) and Field of Research (FoR) codes are recorded correctly in IRMA - by searching under the “Researcher Name” criteria
  • Search for a collaborator by FoR Description - type a FoR Description (or part) name, check the box, and all researchers with that description (recorded in IRMA) will be displayed.
• University Research overview:
  • Funding overview: total projects by year and grant outcome, includes FedUni and Total project Awarded Amounts; can be filtered by Centre/Institute.
  • Outputs overview: outputs (publications) by Quartile; can be filtered by Centre/Institute and/or by year.
• Funding Information:
  • Displays project details, total no. of grants, and awarded amounts for all grants recorded in IRMA; can be filtered by researcher name, application year, Centre/Institute and/or by grant outcome.
• Outputs Information:
  • Displays output details and total no. of outputs (including summary of Scopus citations and outputs by quartile) for all outputs recorded in IRMA; can be filtered by researcher name, publication year, and/or Centre/Institute.
• Research partnerships:
  • Displays project details, total no. of grants, and awarded amounts for all grants recorded in IRMA; can be filtered by Primary Funds Provider, and/or Centre/Institute
  • Search for a research partner by Centre/Institute and/or Funds Providers.

Important: researchers should continually review this information and ensure it is up to date - this is particularly important for the accuracy of data provided in this dashboard and Find an Expert profiles (see further details below) but also for academic promotions and workload calculations.

Incorrect or missing information?

Please contact the applicable team/s, as follows:

• Grants/Funding information: research.funding@federation.edu.au
• Publications: either complete the “Request to add a publication” form or email research.reporting@federation.edu.au.
• Researcher Identifiers: research.reporting@federation.edu.au
• FoR codes: refer to the IRMA webpage for details on how to add/update your FoR codes (or refer to the IRMA - Researcher User Guide v4 (PDF, 2,073 kb)

We welcome feedback on the look and feel of the dashboard and its functionality. Please email research.reporting@federation.edu.au with any comments.

Research outputs are recorded in the Publications module of our Research Management System, IRMA. They include all bibliometric information and can be harvested directly from Scopus; exported from Web of Science or ORCID; or advised by researchers and manually entered.

Categories of research publications in IRMA include:

• Authored books,
• Book chapters,
• Journal articles,
• Conference papers,
• Creative works,
• Research reports.

Scopus-indexed publications harvested into IRMA:

IRMA automatically harvests Scopus-indexed publications daily and matches them to staff records via their Scopus ID.

The Research Reporting team reviews the publications for completeness. Some records may appear incomplete in IRMA, if certain information is not yet available (i.e. journal volume and issue numbers, external author details etc.).

Reviewing researcher identifiers and publication records:

It is the researcher’s responsibility to ensure researcher identifiers and publication records are up to date.

These can be reviewed in the Researcher Dashboard (see above), or directly in IRMA. (Note: publications can also be reviewed in Find an Expert (see above). Instructions for reviewing records in IRMA are available in the User Guide).

Advising Research Services:

To advise researcher identifiers: email research.reporting@federation.edu.au.

To advise publication records (not indexed in Scopus*): either email your publication list to research.reporting@federation.edu.au or complete the Request to add a publication form.

To ensure accurate publication entry into IRMA, it is important that researchers advise their researcher identifiers (Scopus ID, Web of Science ID, ORCID) to Research Services.

Emailed publication lists must include:

• Full bibliographic information, Title, Published year, ISSN/ ISBN, Journal name/Conference name/Book name, page numbers, DOI, all authors AND evidence of their affiliations.
  • Note: for conference papers: full proceedings details, including date and location of conference, editors, published proceeding title.

Physical evidence or a link can be attached, if it includes the abovementioned details.

For creative outputs, please refer to your Institution or Centre, or email research.reporting@federation.edu.au.

* Publications indexed by Scopus are automatically harvested into IRMA and may be duplicated, if also advised by researchers.

The ARC administered Australia’s national research assessment, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). ERA identified and promoted excellence across the full range of research in Australia’s higher education institutions. Through ERA the ARC identified excellence in research. It did this by comparing Australia's university research against international benchmarks. This creates incentives to improve the quality of research.

Research Evaluation is currently being considered in the context of the Government’s response to the Australian Universities Accord. The previous evaluation exercise, Excellence in Research for Australia(ERA) and Engagement and Impact (EI), have ceased.

The New Research Evaluation Framework is not yet available and is still in development.

Further information can be found at http://www.arc.gov.au/excellence-research-australia

Research Services provide research information to assist in the Academic Promotion and Workload allocation process.

The information for Workload allocation is from IRMA data, while Academic Promotion is a combination of IRMA and Web of Science data. Accuracy of this information is reliant on the research activity, researcher identifiers, and FoR codes being accurately recorded in IRMA and an up-to-date record of publications in Web of Science (WoS).

The onus is on researchers to ensure their IRMA and WoS information is current and complete at all times. Research activity, researcher identifiers and FoR codes can be reviewed in either IRMA or the Researcher Dashboard (see above). Note: refer to the Dashboard section (above), for how to report incorrect/missing information.

Important: if FoR codes are not updated in IRMA, the comparative indicators assessment and calculations may not be accurate.

This information is only intended to remind researchers to maintain up-to-date research activities and profiles to support the Academic Promotion and workload allocation processes. Refer to the Academic promotion or Workload Planning webpage/s, as applicable, for full details - including how to apply, key dates, guidelines, procedures, research workload calculations, and other supporting resources.

Note: Research Services only provide the research data to assist in the process, and do not have any involvement in the decision making.

Federation University’s Find an Expert is a public resource page and displays information about our researchers.

A review of this page and the information it displays will be conducted in late 2025. Find an Expert currently only interrogates the biography when searching keywords.

Please check your profile: https://federation.edu.au/research/find-an-expert, to ensure your biography and other information on your profile are up to date.

If any of the following information on your profile needs to be updated, please complete the following form or send the information to research.reporting@federation.edu.au.

• Profile
  – Profile not found: profiles are not automatically displayed and may need to be manually activated by the  Research Reporting Team.
• Biography
  – Biographies may need to be added or updated (Max. 200 words) and should be regularly reviewed to be kept up to date.
  – A link to your Federation University staff profile can also be included in your bio
• Socials and contact information that can be displayed:
  – Social media links (ORCID, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) – the link to any/all of these can be displayed
  – Contact details (email and/or phone) – can be hidden or displayed
  – Availability for: Professional comment, Supervision and/or Examiner – can be hidden or displayed.
• Field of Research (FoR) code descriptions can be displayed:
  –To check and/or update FoR codes – please refer to the Researcher Dashboard (above) or the User Guide section of our IRMA Support page (refer to the section “User Guide/Researcher Profile/FoR codes: to check and/or update”)
  –The FoR code descriptions will be automatically updated from IRMA to your profile.
• Publications
  – Should a publication be missing from your profile - a request can be submitted by completing the “Request to add a publication” form, to add your missing research outputs to IRMA
  – Publications will automatically be updated from IRMA to your profile (refreshed overnight)

If you have any questions/queries/feedback in regards to your Find an Expert profile, please email research.reporting@federation.edu.au.

The Federation University Research Strategy 2025-2030 outlines the strategic priorities and key performance indicators for research.

To track the University's progress against these objectives, data on research income, research outputs, research ethics and research training are collected and form the basis of various internal and external reports. This data also informs academic performance management (workload), and promotions.

It is imperative that all research activity is recorded in the research management system (IRMA). Data collected within our research administration system (IRMA) underpins both internal and external reporting on the University's research activities.

Research performance data:

• are reported annually for the Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC), which informs the allocation of Research Block Grant Funding to the University.
• assists in determining internal distributions of the Research Block Grant Funding for university research.
• may also be used in ranking and impact submissions
  • these submissions assess the quality and impact of the University’s research, with outcomes publicly reported for all Australian universities.
• also inform Institute/Centre reviews, individual staff performance management (workload) discussions and academic promotion applications.

The Research Services Teams can advise and assist researchers with IRMA data accuracy, compliance, and application refinement for stronger submissions, when contacted early. Comprehensive information on each of the Research Services Teams, including relevant policies, procedures, and forms, can be accessed via our Support-for-students-and-staff webpage.

Researcher Identifiers (ORCID, Scopus ID and Web of Science ResearcherID) and Fields of Research (FoRs) codes are recorded in IRMA to assist:

• to accurately identify researcher publications that are harvested or manually entered into IRMA
• the Academic Promotion and Workload Allocations processes (see below)
• potential collaborators (both internal and external) searching and locating researchers in a particular field
• to display accurate information in a researcher's Find an Expert profile

To check Researcher Identifiers / FoR codes – refer to the Researcher Dashboard (above)

To update Researcher Identifiers - email research.reporting@federation.edu.au

To update FoR codes – refer to the User Guide section of our IRMA Support page (refer to the section “User Guide/Researcher Profile/FoR codes: to check and/or update”)

Once updated in IRMA, the FoR code description will then filter automatically to Find an Expert profiles.

Important: if FoR codes are not updated in IRMA, the comparative indicators assessment and calculations (for Academic Promotion and Workload allocation) may not be accurate.

Did you know the university reports annually on how its work – including research – contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Research impact is reported against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via our Sustainability Impact Report. The 2023 Sustainability Impact Report can be found on the University's Sustainability webpage.

Linking research and other initiatives to the SDGs allows us to assess and enhance the societal impact of our work, and to demonstrate Federation University’s innovation driving sustainable progress in our communities and further afield. Reporting on research impact with reference to the SDGs highlights the relevance and value of scholarly activities and promotes transparency and accountability, ultimately supporting the creation of a more equitable and sustainable future.

Whether you're applying for funding, publishing your work, or explaining why it matters, articulating your research impact can make a real difference.

If you’d like to demonstrate how your research aligns with these global goals and be able to clearly define its impact - the Research Impact Course is here to help. This self-paced course offers practical guidance to help you identify, communicate, and even enhance the impact of your research—at any stage of your career.

Visit the Researcher Development website, navigate to the ‘Research Impact Training’ heading and click on the registration link.

Any questions or for further information, please contact researcher.development@federation.edu.au.