Platinum-lanthanide alloys are very promising as active and stable catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in low-temperature fuel cells. We have fabricated Pt and Pt5Gd metallic thin films via (co-) sputtering deposition in an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chamber. The electrochemical ORR activity, stability, as-well as chemical composition and crystallographic structure of Pt5Gd thin film catalysts have been investigated using a combination of electrochemical measurements, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. We describe the measurement procedures, with the aim of benchmarking electrochemical characterization of Pt-based thin film catalysts for ORR. Pt5Gd thin films present an activity enhancement by a factor of 4.5 and 2.5 over polycrystalline Pt and Pt thin films, respectively. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.