University of Oxford research culture toolkit: resources to improve self-reflection, sharing and rigour in departmental research culture

Report

The University of Oxford Research Culture Toolkit (‘Toolkit’) is a collaborative university-wide project to provide a consistent approach to surfacing, sharing, supporting and evidencing priorities and activities that strengthen positive, inclusive research cultures. Launched in 2024, the Toolkit was designed to clarify what research culture encompasses, map existing activity, and highlight both strengths and gaps in everyday practice across the University’s academic departments. It includes a suite of ‘tools’: resources for departments to collate and reflect on their activities to strengthen the research environment and to support rigour and evaluation. This report provides a summary of the ‘tools’ and how they can be used, with example materials shared in the Appendix. The Toolkit has been evaluated iteratively, combining pilot feedback, structured self-reflection and wider validation to assess its effectiveness. More than 80% of academic departments at the University of Oxford used the Toolkit in 2025.

Authors: Muers, M; Bray, R; Buckley, M; Casci, T; Hutchence, J

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: University of Oxford
• Place of publication: Oxford, UK
• Publication date: 2026-06-11
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-e9owojgrk
• Language: English
• Keywords: research culture; research practice; research environment; EDI; careers; inclusion