[CV-METER--a computerized objective assessment for academic promotion]

We describe a new web-based program developed at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University that serves as a tool to assist the academic promotion committee. The program incorporates the sum of the candidate's publications together with the impact factor of the journals and the contribution of the candidate according to his/her place in the list of authors. The program also "weighs" other academic achievements of the candidate, such as grades in teaching, contribution to the faculty and to the academy/ profession in general, and other parameters. The program then grades the candidate according to the percentile compared to other candidates who have applied for the same promotion and who are in a similar field of research with comparable opportunities for publication. The program allows for transparency and maximal objectivity in the assessment of the candidates for promotion, taking into consideration multiple parameters, which is difficult without computerization, as well as objective comparisons between different departments and different faculties/universities.