Research projects are often long and complex and comprise several detailed steps involving data collection, investigation, analysis, report writing, and more. And yet, only a snapshot of this work makes it into the final Research Article.
Open Research Europe offers the possibility to publish various research project outputs as standalone peer-reviewed articles of different types, allowing you to get full credit for the hard work that goes into each project step. Also, publishing research outputs from early stages in a project can help increase the scientific quality, prevent duplication and research waste while enabling others to build upon existing work. This, in turn, increases the efficiency of future projects and scientific advancements.
This blog post outlines five opportunities to publish outputs from your research journey with Open Research Europe, in addition to research articles.
Reviews
Formulating a straightforward research question and reviewing relevant literature is vital to any research project, allowing the conceptualisation of new work. Reviews are a balanced and comprehensive overview of the latest discoveries in a particular field. They cover a particular research area from a new angle, focusing on peer-reviewed journals and papers.
A Review does not contain new research but instead focuses on existing published findings. Review Articles demonstrate your understanding and expertise in your field, and there is a chance that other researchers will find, read, and cite your work, resulting in academic recognition.
We’ve included a couple of examples of Reviews published on Open Research Europe below:
- On the need to better integrate the social environment in research on climate change and health: recommendations and thinking tools
- Antibiotics in honey: a comprehensive review on occurrence and analytical methodologies
Study Protocols
Study Protocols allow researchers to propose their methods for future studies and present their rationale while receiving credit and ensuring intellectual property rights (IPR) are maintained. They describe a proposed study design in detail, including the experimental design for basic and applied research, Systematic Reviews, or protocols that define research questions and empirical methods.
Study Protocols are an excellent opportunity for researchers to receive feedback on their methods before undertaking practical investigations, potentially identifying any flaws in the methodology. In addition to this, authors can request specific feedback during the peer review process to further optimise their work. Publishing a Study Protocol before carrying out the investigation allows other researchers in your field to see what you will be working on.
We’ve included a couple of examples of published Study Protocols below:
- Evidence-based exercise recommendations to improve functional mobility in older adults – A Study Protocol for Living Systematic Review and meta-analysis
- Industry 5.0 concepts and enabling technologies, towards an enhanced conservation practice: systematic literature review protocol
Method Articles
Method Articles describe a new method, test or procedure. They tend to include new study methods, substantive modifications or innovative applications of existing methods. Alternatively, they may also take the form of technical articles that describe tools that facilitate the performance of experiments or provide data analysis.
They allow researchers to obtain feedback on their method, including whether sufficient detail is provided to reproduce and utilize it. This, in turn, upholds the reproducibility and transparency of the procedure and demonstrates new methods or improved methods that can be used by other researchers and applied to their projects.
Below are a couple of examples of Method Articles published on the Platform:
- Development of flip-chip technology for the optical drive of superconducting circuits
- Children and young people as research collaborators in a large-scale migration research project
Data Notes
Data Notes allow researchers to share research datasets in a discoverable, useable, and reproducible way while crediting the researchers who produce the data in a citable publication. They are brief descriptions of scientific datasets and often include details of why and how the data was created. However, they do not include any additional analyses or conclusions.
The data on which a Data Note is written is often deposited in a repository so it can be verified and stored. Making this information available promotes the reuse of research data by other researchers.
Below are some examples of Data Notes published on Open Research Europe:
- CMIP6-based global estimates of future aridity index and potential evapotranspiration for 2021-2060
- Targeting deeply-sourced seeps along the Central Volcanic Zone
Software Tool Articles
Like Data Notes, Software Tool Articles ensure maximum reproducibility of software, code, and algorithms.
Rather than relegating software to a section of a final paper, this enables researchers to present cutting-edge software as a standalone output, receive credit and retain IPR.
We’ve included a couple of examples of Software Tool Articles published on Open Research Europe below:
- STRAIGHTMORPH: A Voice Morphing Tool for Research in Voice Communication Sciences
- SentemQC – A novel and cost-efficient method for quality assurance and quality control of high-resolution frequency sensor data in fresh waters
There are many ways to get the most out of your research, which aligns with the principles of open research, such as collaboration, transparency and reproducibility. Find out more about how to tell the complete story of your research through diverse article types on Open Research Europe.
