User:Daniel Mietchen/Talks/Academic Publishing in Europe 2012/Abstract

Researchers spend much of their time writing - e.g. grant applications, lab notebook entries, code, conference abstracts, progress reports and papers. Traditionally, only very few of these works have been published, such that the research process was - and in many cases still is - largely hidden from the public.

This talk will provide a different perspective on the matter: what if research publishing were to focus on the process rather than coarse snapshots thereof? Given that most research steps nowadays already take place digitally or at least leave digital traces, an integration of research and publishing workflows is becoming technically feasible, and it can be widened to include impact assessment and outreach as well as provisions for reuse, especially in educational contexts. Existing examples will be highlighted and challenges for researchers, publishers and research administrators identified.