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Historically, traditional publishing venues have prioritised one research output over all else: the Research Article. Seen as the culmination of all research projects, this final paper has often taken precedent when considering publication of work.

However, this focus can undermine the value of other, less traditional outputs, and the benefits for researchers in publishing these outputs as different article types.

In this blog, we explore the importance of broadening publishable outputs, and how diverse article types on Wellcome Open Research can benefit authors.

Supporting non-traditional research outputs

To help researchers maximise the broad range of research outputs that stem from every project, Wellcome Open Research supports over 10 different article types, which enable researchers to publish results and analysis at every stage of the research lifecycle.

From Systematic Reviews and Method Articles to Study Protocols and Research Notes, these diverse article types broaden the scope of publishable work for researchers and increase visibility of these less traditional research outputs.

In fact, 53% of all articles published on Wellcome Open Research are published as a less traditional research output.

The benefits of publishing outputs as diverse article types

Broadening the scope of publishable work through different article types provides several benefits for researchers.

Increased author credit

Research projects are made up of several stages and often involve complex steps of data collection, analysis, report writing, and more. Yet, only a small amount of this is included in the final Research Article and, as a result, much of this foundational work goes unrecognised.

However, by publishing every output of a research project as its own article type, from methods in a Method Article, preliminary findings as a Research Note, or pre-research analysis as a Systematic Review, authors can get full credit for the work that goes into each research step.

Reduced research waste and improved efficiencies

A reduction in waste and an improvement in efficiency is linked to this increase in recognition.

By publishing all underlying project outputs, the research community and wider stakeholders can access this work that would otherwise be archived and, arguably, wasted.

This can help other researchers to build on the foundation of these outputs in their own studies, reduce unnecessary research repetition, and accelerate new discoveries.

Increase reproducibility and trust

By providing access to all research outputs, the entire research project becomes much more transparent. Other researchers can follow the study step-by-step – and in more depth – to reproduce and validate the original findings.

This means others can ensure that conclusions are built upon a firm foundation, boosting the research’s credibility, and building trust. This can also help to increase the chance of research being cited, replicated, and used by wider stakeholders, including policymakers.

Improve research quality

Additionally, publishing outputs earlier in the process can help authors produce higher quality work.

Every article on Wellcome Open Research is peer reviewed, which means that publishing early work, such as Study Protocols and Systematic Reviews, provides an opportunity for experts to help improve research as it evolves, as well as flag and minimize any potential issues that could become a concern further down the line.

Not only does this result in higher-quality research, but it can also save time and effort in mitigating potential issues as they arise.

Provide more in-depth analysis and enable richer peer review

Similarly, publishing research outputs as their own dedicated article allows for a much deeper analysis and discussion of each stage.

Where methods, data, software, literature reviews, and other outputs would traditionally have a small part in a final Research Article, publishing this work as an article provides space for more in-depth analysis and discussion. This can, in turn, enable much richer peer review through a more comprehensive understanding of the research.

Increase research visibility

Finally, publishing all research outputs as a dedicated article type can help boost research visibility.

Each article published on Wellcome Open Research has its own DOI and is indexed in industry databases when it passes peer review. As a result, each of these articles is discoverable, meaning readers can find a research project via many different routes rather than just through the final Research Article.

This can also lead to more citations and a potential boost in real-world impact, with an increased chance of research being discovered and used by stakeholders outside of the immediate research community.

Publishing outputs at every stage of a research project

Each article type supported by Wellcome Open Research relates to a different step of the research journey.

From Systematic Reviews, Study Protocols, and Method Articles during the concept and planning stages to Data Notes, Software Tool Articles and Research Notes during the data collection and analysis stages, the diverse article types support different outputs across the full project lifecycle.

Discover how some of the article types relate to different outputs in the infographic below.

Publish your research with Wellcome Open Research

Wellcome-funded researchers are eligible to publish their work with Wellcome Open Research at no cost to themselves, with article types available to support outputs at every stage of the journey.

Find out more about these diverse article types in our article guidelines, and submit your research for publication today.

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