Research outputs

Library validation is a process to ensure that the bibliographic metadata (such as title, creators, and date) associated with a research output is accurate and complete. This process plays a crucial role in maintaining the quality, integrity and discoverability of our research records.

The Library will view the published or Version of Record to validate it. This is typically the final, peer-reviewed, and officially published version that is publicly accessible via the publisher.

Library Validation is crucial because accurate bibliographic metadata supports the credibility and recognition of your research. ResearchNow serves as the authoritative source of truth for Flinders research publications, including bibliographic metadata and affiliations. It is also the primary data source for the University’s external reporting requirements.

Before a research output can appear on the ResearchNow Portal it needs to go through an internal verification process. When a research output has been entered into the system and is ready to be verified it has a Status of “For validation”, which indicates that it is ready to be verified internally. The ResearchNow Support team (key people in Library and RDS) is responsible for verifying the research output for accuracy and completeness.

After the research output is verified to the extent that it can appear on the ResearchNow Portal, the ResearchNow Support team sets its Status to “Validated”. After validation, the research output appears on the ResearchNow Portal. Once a research output is Validated you will no longer be able to edit it.

If you see a duplicate of a research output you are entering you have the following options:

Scopus candidate
If the research output is a Scopus candidate and is flagged as a duplicate, you can review the duplicate and decide whether you want to import it or not.  It is recommended that you import the record as a duplicate if it has more enriched data than the record that is already in the system e.g. abstract, additional authors etc. You will also need to advise the ResearchNow Support team who will be responsible for merging this new imported research output with the existing research output.

Bulk added output candidate
When added in bulk from a BibTex or RIS file, like the Scopus import any duplicates will be flagged before import and you can follow the same process as for a Scopus import

Manually added output
It is recommended that you review your research outputs before adding a research output manually to make sure that the research output does not already exist in the system. If it does exist and the research output has a status set to “Entry in Progress” or “For Validation” you will be able to edit it to add additional data.

If it has a status of “Validated” then it will be locked for editing. In this instance you will need to advise the ResearchNow Support team of any changes that you would like made to the research output record.

For deletion of outputs
If the duplicate research output status is set to "Entry in progress" or "For validation" you may be presented with the option to delete the output yourself.

If the duplicate research output status is set to "Validated" you will not have the ability to delete the output and will need to request the ResearchNow Support team to do this on your behalf. Note that if a research output record is deleted you will receive an email from ResearchNow advising you that the output has been deleted.
 
For merging of outputs
As referred to above, you can enter the output as a duplicate and advise the ResearchNow Support team to merge the outputs on your behalf.

The ability to modify research output data is dependent on ownership of data and roles in ResearchNow.

The processes for modifying research outputs are:

• If a research output has a Workflow state of  Entry in progress or For Validation and you are an Author on the output, you will have the ability to edit data in the output. However there may be some read only data e.g. data imported from the HR system which cannot be modified.
• If a research output has a Workflow state of Validated, you will have read only access to the record and will have to contact the ResearchNow support team to request any changes required.
• If you would like to merge 2 research outputs or other record types (e.g. external person, organisation etc) you can contact the ResearchNow support team to request this change.
• If you want to claim or disclaim authorship of a research output please follow the quick reference guide for Claim a Research Output or Disclaim authorship of existing research output.
• If there is any record that you want to change that you are unable to edit you can contact the ResearchNow support team to request the change.

Altmetrics are measures of research impact online which are complementary to the more traditional research impact metrics like Citations and H-Indices (which are also shown on the ResearchNow Portal). Altmetrics can be calculated for a research output if it has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) associated with it in ResearchNow. Examples of altmetrics are Twitter retweets, Facebook likes, news articles, blog mentions, captures (e.g. number of clicks, downloads, views etc).

ResearchNow displays altmetric metrics from two different altmetric organisations, Altmetrics and PlumX.

Flinders Publication Categories (FPC) are internal codes that classify different types of research outputs.  Outputs are categorised based on the nature of the output, whether the output contributes new knowledge and has been subject to scholarly peer review. Flinders Publication Categories were formerly used by Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) and Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) for research output reporting. They are also used within Flinders University for internal research output reporting purposes.

Researchers are highly encouraged to enter relevant Flinders Publication Categories for each of the outputs in ResearchNow with the help from Flinders Publication Categories Guide. The Data Administration team will only enter the category if not already populated.

Fields of Research (FoR) codes implement a hierarchical research activity classification defined in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification ANZSRC, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand. 

Add the research area(s) for the project by selecting ‘Add Field of Research (FoR)’ when you enter research applications in ResearchNow. New 2020 FoR codes are available in ResearchNow, replacing the previously used 2008 codes. All research is required to have a 6-digit 2020 FoR code allocated. Historical 2008 codes can be left as is. More information can be found in the Researcher Application QRG. 

Each FoR code that is entered for a research output will need to have a percentage apportionment set so that they in total add up to 100%. Note that the system will not enforce the totals to add up to 100% so you will have to check and make sure that the totals add up to 100% when entering FoR's.

A non-traditional research output refers to a form of scholarly contribution that goes beyond the conventional formats of academic papers or articles. It includes creative and innovative ways of presenting research findings or insights, such as artworks, performances, software, digital media, exhibitions, and more.

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) Researchers can refer to the CHASS Guidelines: Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) to learn more about managing of NTROs in CHASS.

Researchers, not with CHASS generating NTROs should contact their respective College Research Support staff for submitting their outputs.

A ResearchNow activity is used for recording esteem-related events and other academic and non-academic interactions related to research. All activities recorded in ResearchNow are visible on the Research @ Flinders public portal which will increase the visibility of your research engagement.

For instructions on how to add an activity to your public portal please refer to Research Activity.

A ResearchNow activity can be, but is not limited to Research Council panel membership, mentoring, conference attendance, or media works such as radio/tv interviews, and peer-reviews.

For more information about determining if an item is an Output or Activity please see our Research Output and Activity guide.

ResearchNow provides a single interface for you to report your publications to the University and make your paper open access in one workflow. ResearchNow portal is now the Institutional Repository for research publications.
Open Access via ResearchNow will comply with Australian Research Council (ARC) and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant mandates for open access. Find instructions on how to make your paper open access from Make your paper Open Access.

A trusted user is someone you invite to take control of your user account and who can then perform the same tasks as you in ResearchNow. This allows you to delegate control of your account to someone else; for example, when you will not be accessing the system for a period of time or if there is someone who will usually be performing ResearchNow activities on your behalf.

For instructions on how to add someone as a trusted user please refer to the Managing trusted users guide.