Plain-language explainers · 8 topics
Learn the basics
Plain-language explainers for the core concepts of modern research administration. If you know what these mean, you can navigate the rest of the site (and the rest of the field) confidently.
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Explainer
What is CRediT?
CRediT is a standardised list of 14 contributor roles that scholarly authors use to credit who did what on a research paper. It was standardised as ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022. Over 50 publishers and thousands of journals now require it.
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What is a narrative CV?
A narrative CV is a researcher CV format that emphasises contribution narrative over publication lists. Versions include the UKRI R4RI, the Royal Society Résumé for Researchers, the Wellcome Trust narrative CV, and the Dutch NWO Evidence-of-Activity format.
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What is an ORCID iD?
ORCID is a free, persistent, unique identifier for you as a researcher. It distinguishes you from other researchers with similar names and connects your contributions across funders, publishers, repositories, and institutions. Required by most major funders since the late 2010s.
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What is FAIR data?
FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) is a set of four principles for making research data machine-actionable. Published by Wilkinson et al. in 2016 (Nature Scientific Data), now near-universally required in funder DMPs.
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What is a CRIS?
A Current Research Information System (CRIS) is the database of record at a university for everything research-related: publications, grants, people, projects. It connects to ORCID, Crossref, funders, repositories. Vendors: Pure (Elsevier), Symplectic Elements (Digital Science), Worktribe, Converis. Open source: VIVO.
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What is Plan S?
Plan S is a funder-driven open-access initiative requiring immediate CC BY open access for publications from funded research. Backed by ~30 major funders (UKRI, ERC, Wellcome, Gates, Templeton, etc.). Launched 2018; implementation from 2021.
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What is open access?
Open access is the practice of making peer-reviewed research articles freely available online, typically under a Creative Commons licence (most often CC BY). Distinct from "free to read" — true OA includes reuse rights.
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What is research integrity?
Research integrity is the practice of conducting research honestly, rigorously, transparently, and accountably. It covers FFP (fabrication / falsification / plagiarism), data management, authorship, peer review, and disclosure. Frameworks: ALLEA European Code; ORI in the US; UKRIO in the UK; COPE for publishers.
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