In the ATLA team we have decades of experience as researchers and/or in the publishing industry. This means we are very familiar with the process of publishing a research paper but knowledge of the procedures involved in research and publication should not be taken for granted. Young career researchers will inevitably need to learn when, how and where to publish their results.  

Why is publishing research so important

While publishing is essential to boost one’s CV, it is also the conventional way of disseminating research results. We cannot overstate the importance of communicating the outcomes of research projects. Publication allows data to be scrutinised, allows colleagues to decide whether to fine-tune the direction of their own projects, and supports the generation of new ideas. It can also help researchers decide to drop specific lines of research. 

Scientific progress is incremental and builds on past achievements. Without access to data and results, progress would be slower and resources would be wasted. Even ‘negative’ results are valuable and can help other researchers target their efforts to more productive avenues of research. 

Why publication is particularly important for alternatives to animal research

Communication and dissemination of ideas and results is also very important in the context of the 3Rs. New ways of addressing research questions that do not involve animals need spreading to the wider scientific community.  

New ideas need debating. Researchers will need to show that non-animal methods are robust enough to generate worthy research outcomes. As with science in general, results need to be available so methods can be optimised and used in their most effective format.  

How can early career researchers learn more about getting published?

The publication of research results (e.g. in papers, conferences, online repositories) is crucial to ensure ideas and data are scrutinised — it is how science progresses.  

It is also a transparent and effective way of disseminating new approaches and methods. This is key to the global update of robust non-animal approaches. 

That’s why we created our guide “Journeying Through Journals: The Publishing Process and How to Maximise Research Impact” including the top 10 tips for early career researchers.   

ATLA Editor-in-Chief Judith Madden shares “This guide is, in part, aimed at helping early career researchers (ECRs) understand the roles and responsibilities of the people involved—editors, reviewers and authors—as well as the procedures that follow manuscript submission and revision, ultimately leading to publication. The article also provides summaries of resources to assist proper presentation of research (such as publishing guidelines for different types of data) and the pros and cons of different publishing models, e.g. open-source data repositories versus traditional publication of articles within a journal. A key feature of the article is a list of ‘ten top tips’ in publishing. This provides advice and recommendations for maximising the impact of published research, empowering ECRs to establish a strong publication record from the outset. The resources presented also provide a wealth of information for reviewers and editors, focusing on the publication of Three Rs-related research.” 

Take a look at our guide and let us know in the comments if you have any more top tips to add!