Towson University
AC-8: Responsible Research and Innovation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
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Reporter |
8.1 Published ethical code of conduct for research
Online location of the institution’s ethical code of conduct for research:
Copy of the institution’s ethical code of conduct for research:
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
8.2 Recognition of integrated, community-based, and extra-academic research
Description or text of the promotion/tenure guidelines or policies that explicitly recognize integrated research:
From the University System of Maryland II-1.00 - POLICY ON APPOINTMENT, RANK, AND TENURE OF FACULTY
II. FACULTY RANKS, PROMOTION, TENURE, AND PERMANENT STATUS
B. CRITERIA AND PROCUEDURES FOR PROMOTION AND TENURE
2. The activities considered to be within the criteria for promotion and tenure shall be flexible and expansive. The assessment of teaching, research/scholarship/creative activities, and service during the promotion and tenure process shall give appropriate recognition, consistent with the institution’s mission, to faculty accomplishments that are collaborative, interdisciplinary, and inter-institutional and to faculty innovations in areas such as undergraduate education, minorityachievement programs, K-16 curriculum development, and technology-enhanced learning.
Do the promotion/tenure guidelines or policies that recognize integrated research cover all of the institution’s research-producing academic divisions?:
Does the institution have published promotion or tenure guidelines or policies that give explicit positive recognition to community-based research?:
Description or text of the promotion/tenure guidelines or policies that explicitly recognize community-based research:
Do the promotion/tenure guidelines or policies that recognize community-based research cover all of the institution’s research-producing academic divisions?:
Does the institution have published promotion or tenure guidelines or policies that give explicit positive recognition to research impact or reach outside of academic journals?:
Description or text of the promotion/tenure guidelines or policies that explicitly recognize research impact or reach outside of academic journals:
Do the promotion/tenure guidelines or policies that recognize research impact or reach outside of academic journals cover all of the institution’s research-producing academic divisions?:
If Yes to any of the above, provide at least one form of evidence (website URL or document). If reporting on multiple guidelines or policies, provide the best available example and/or a website that provides an overview of promotion/tenure for academic employees.
Copy of the institution’s promotion/tenure guidelines or policies:
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
8.3 Inter-campus collaboration for responsible research and innovation
Description of the institution’s inter-campus collaborations for responsible research and innovation:
Towson University is a member of CUMU. CUMU's mission is:
"The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities is dedicated to its member institutions and to the creation and dissemination of knowledge on the issues that face our urban and metropolitan campuses and the communities we serve. CUMU’s mission ensures sustained attention to the exchange of information and ideas among member institutions about higher education’s role in urban and metropolitan settings, engenders a unified approach to the resolution of common challenges, and develops a clearer understanding within the higher education community and among public policy makers and the public about the distinctive roles played by urban and metropolitan institutions.
CUMU’s objectives are achieved through strategies, programs, and activities that support research and information exchange, institutional engagement and service, and public information and advocacy."
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
8.4 Support for open access publishing
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the open access repository:
ScholarWorks@Towson is an institutional repository for scholarly and other professional works created by members of the Towson University community. It is a part of the Maryland Shared Open Access Repository (MD-SOAR) initiative, a consortial institutional repository for institutions of higher learning throughout the state.
Items deposited into ScholarWorks@Towson are quickly made available and disseminated online, thereby increasing their visibility and impact. They also receive long-term preservation. Furthermore, adding files to the repository can satisfy data management and open access requirements for some research funding agencies. A variety of file formats can be deposited with a file size limit of 2GB.
https://mdsoar.org/communities/113328b5-9ee7-4830-990f-7dffc00104c5
Does the institution have one or more published policies that require its employees to publish scholarly works open access or archive final post-peer reviewed versions of scholarly works in an open access repository?:
Do the open access policies cover all of the institution’s research-producing academic divisions?:
Text or online location of the institution’s open access policies:
We do have a research guide about Open Access here: https://towson.libguides.com/openaccess
Copy of the institution’s open access policies:
Does the institution provide an open access article processing charge (APC) fund for employees?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the open access APC fund:
Does the institution negotiate or participate in transformative open access agreements that are consistent with ESAC guidelines?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s transformative open access agreements with publishers:
All major contracts are now renegotiated to read and publish transformative agreements wherever possible. Current agreements in place are listed here: https://towson.libguides.com/c.php?g=1320202&p=9713466
We are currently in negotiation with Elsevier to establish a read and publish agreement for 2025-26.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
TU Tenure guideslines: https://www.towson.edu/about/administration/policies/02-01-00-policy-appointment-rank-tenure-faculty.html
Additional documentation for this credit:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.