This chapter discusses national and international recommendations for the responsible use of publication metrics. The use of research metrics as part of both the research evaluation and the researcher evaluation has become more common, alongside qualitative expert evaluations. This has sparked a debate on responsible researcher evaluation and the responsible use of publication metrics in research evaluation. Research metrics is a broader concept, with publication metrics being one part of it. Responsible publication metrics has become a more widely discussed issue since the publication of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment. In the Finnish context, responsible researcher evaluation is addressed in the Responsible Conduct of Research and Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct in Finland guidelines. In the responsible use of research metrics, it is important that research metrics are only used as a part of the overall evaluation.
In the application of responsible publication metrics, it is important to ensure the transparency of methods and content and take into account the diversity of fields of science and their different practices. In addition to this, adequate coverage of content, equal treatment of research subjects and adequate competence of those interpreting the metrics outputs should be ensured.