SIGAPS in French radiation oncology: Institutional funding, academic assessment and priorities for responsible reform

In France, the Système d'Interrogation, de Gestion et d'Analyse des Publications Scientifiques (SIGAPS) identifies and validates MEDLINE-indexed publications produced by healthcare institutions. SIGAPS indicators contribute to funding allocated through the Missions d'Enseignement, de Recherche, de Référence et d'Innovation (MERRI), while conventional cumulative SIGAPS totals may also be considered in individual hospital-university dossiers. This policy perspective clarifies these distinct uses, describes the position of radiation oncology within the journal-classification framework and proposes operational safeguards for responsible assessment.

A narrative policy analysis was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE and primary institutional documentation available up to 10 January 2026. Sources addressed SIGAPS development, publication validation, the 2021 fractional reform implemented for MERRI allocation, the published 2021 criteria of the French National Council of Universities (CNU) Section 47-02 and responsible research assessment. A descriptive dataset of 341 oncology and radiation-related journals classified from 2019 to 2023 was also examined.

Only MEDLINE-indexed and SIGAPS-validated publications in were eligible for scoring. The conventional score is calculated as the product of the author-position coefficient (C1) and journal coefficient (C2). For the MERRI-related institutional allocation, the fractional score is calculated as (C1i/ΣC1j) × C2, with validated author contributions subsequently aggregated at the institutional level. National funds are allocated to healthcare institutions with internal redistribution determined locally. In contrast, the cumulative thresholds used by CNU 47-02 section rely on conventional, non-fractional SIGAPS scores as one element of a broader academic evaluation. Radiation oncology has no dedicated Web of Science subject category and is primarily represented within Oncology and Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging. Among 341 journals, 23 (6.74%) belonged to these categories, including two ranked A and six ranked B.

SIGAPS remains a valuable tool for publication identification, institutional monitoring and funding allocation, provided its different policy functions are not conflated. Fractional scores are appropriate for institutional funding, whereas individual academic evaluation should integrate conventional scores with peer review and broader academic contributions.