Library tools and support for academic promotions
Did you know that the Library can support you with your Academic Promotions application? We provide resources and tools to help researchers, and we have information for academics who create or use Open Educational Resources (OER). Explore the information below to ensure you get the most out of the Library’s support during Academic Promotions season.
Resources and tools for researchers
Use library resources and tools to strengthen your academic promotion application:
- Your author profiles: keep your author profiles accurate and up to date.
- Elements: claim and deposit your publications in Elements. This information feeds into your Find an Expert profile.
- ORCID: create an ORCID iD and link it to your Deakin Elements profile.
- Research Metrics Dashboard: use your Research Metrics Dashboard to view publication metrics from multiple sources, with direct links back to each source for deeper analysis. Hint: Make sure your Scopus Author Profile includes all Scopus-indexed outputs, then add your Scopus author ID to the My research identifiers section in Elements. Useful metrics include publication and citation counts, citation percentile, journal quartiles/rankings, open access percentage, social/media mentions, and policy or patent citations.
- Google Scholar: in some disciplines, a Google Scholar profile may provide broader metrics coverage.
- Library guides: consult the Research Metrics Toolkit and the NTROs impact section to understand and apply research metrics effectively.
- Altmetrics: Deakin provides institutional access to Overton and Altmetric Explorer. These altmetrics tools help you track the reach and influence of your research across sources such as social media, news, and policy documents.
- GenAI tools: use built-in AI features (for example, Altmetric Explorer’s Attention Digest and per-output sentiment analysis) to support your impact and engagement statement.
Using OER in academic promotion applications
Work related to creating, adapting, or adopting Open Educational Resources (OER) can also be used as evidence in academic promotion applications at Deakin when it is clearly aligned to the Academic Strengths Promotion Framework. Importantly, OER work should be framed as a form of evidence that supports claims against relevant criteria, rather than a standalone achievement. Rather than repeating the same OER example across multiple criteria, applicants should identify where the strongest alignment sits and use their OER-related evidence strategically to support their narrative. OER-related work most may support the following criteria:
Teaching and Learning
OER work is most strongly aligned with Teaching & Learning where it forms part of curriculum design, renewal, or scholarly teaching practice:
- TL.3 – Enhance curriculum design and renewal: Where OER adoption or creation is part of evidence‑informed curriculum redesign, renewal of learning materials, improved accessibility, or alignment with institutional or professional standards.
- TL.4 – Scholarly teaching and learning: Where OER work is informed by educational theory or evidence, evaluated, or disseminated as part of scholarly or professionally informed teaching practice.
- TL.1 – Enhance learning through teaching practice, assessment and feedback
- TL.2 – Guide and support learners (for example, through improved equity of access or inclusive learning design)
Remember, the panel will be assessing the quality and impact of teaching practice and curriculum, not the openness of the resource itself.
Engagement and Impact
OER work may align with Engagement & Impact where it demonstrates benefit beyond a single unit, course, or teaching team. This may include:
- EI.1 – Positive impact on the university community: For example, contributing reusable resources, supporting colleagues to adopt OER, or aligning work with university priorities such as access, inclusion, or educational innovation.
- EI.3 – Translate, apply and communicate knowledge (elective): Where disciplinary knowledge or teaching practice is made more broadly accessible and used by others within or beyond the university.
Effective claims here would focus on reach, uptake, reuse, and demonstrated benefit, rather than on dissemination alone.
Leadership and Teamwork
Where OER work involves collaboration, mentoring, or capacity building, it may contribute to Leadership & Teamwork criteria. This kind of OER work may support:
- LT.1 – Teamwork and mentoring: For example, mentoring colleagues in open practice, contributing to communities of practice, or supporting collective curriculum development.
Research and Innovation (in some cases)
In some cases, OER creation may contribute to Research & Innovation where the work clearly aligns with research criteria. This may include cases where the resource:
- is research‑derived and advances knowledge or practice
- is accompanied by systematic evaluation or formal scholarship
- contributes to recognised non‑traditional research outputs
In these cases, it is essential to make explicit how the work meets the relevant research criterion, rather than assuming that openness alone constitutes research contribution.
Focus here on evidence of collective impact and contribution to academic culture, rather than individual authorship.
Need more help?
For more information about metrics and author profiles, please see our Research Metrics Toolkit or contact your librarian for a discussion.
Please note that the Library does not produce customised research metrics reports for the purpose of academic promotion.
For questions about using OER creation, adaptation, or adoption as evidence to support your academic promotion application, please contact opened@deakin.edu.au.
For support with academic promotions more broadly, please visit the Academic Promotions page.