Typically if a researcher is asked what they think of when they hear the word \u201cpublication,\u201d a \u201ctraditional\u201d research journal article likely comes to mind. However, if the entire research workflow is considered, there are many research outputs that could be published including articles, preprints, protocols, datasets, and software. (We are defining \u201cpublished\u201d simply as \u201cdisseminated,\u201d although terms such as \u201cshared\u201d or \u201cposted\u201d may be more appropriate depending on the output.)<\/p>\n
The number of venues for publishing these outputs is growing and includes data repositories and preprint servers like DRYAD<\/a> and medRxiv<\/a>. New journals such as the Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS)<\/a> and Scientific Data<\/a> have been founded specifically to allow these research outputs to be recognized within the scholarly system. In addition, expanded publication types are now offered by established journals like PLOS ONE, which introduced Lab and Study Protocol types<\/a> in early 2021.<\/p>\n This article will provide options for publishing research protocols, however the Where Should I Publish? Guide<\/a> linked on the left of the Scholarly Communication Guide<\/a> also compares options for other research outputs.<\/p>\n Hours of a researcher\u2019s time are often devoted to the development and refinement of procedural methods or protocols. These can include step-by-step descriptions of procedures, guidelines, best practices, workflows, safety precautions, and\/or animal handling. Publishing these protocols:<\/p>\n Some options for publishing research protocols are listed below (note that these\u00a0resources are NOT typically for clinical protocols):<\/p>\n Repositories<\/strong><\/p>\n Peer-Reviewed Journals <\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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