Publication
Measuring the impact of the open research movement
Carina gets published
We are delighted to share the news that a paper written by TaskAdept Director, Andrew Walker, alongside Jade Holt, from IOP Publishing (link) and Phill Jones, from MoreBrains Cooperative (link), has been published in Learned Publishing (DOI).
The paper, entitled Introducing a data availability policy for journals at IOP Publishing: Measuring the impact on authors and editorial teams, shares the results of a pilot project to introduce a new Open Data policy to three IOP Publishing (IOPP) journals, as part of IOPP’s commitment to increasing transparency and their support for open science.
The study used the Carina Workflow Intelligence platform, from TaskAdept, to automatically classify and capture detailed timing data for the tasks carried out by the IOPP editorial team as they processed manuscripts, using ScholarOne Manuscripts from Clarivate. Carina identified which tasks were taking additional time and accurately assessed the impact on submission processing times, as well as capturing how often manuscripts were returned to the author.
TaskAdept have been working with Jade and her colleagues at IOPP since 2018. With this publication it is great to demonstrate how IOPP are using Carina to deliver positive outcomes for all stakeholders in the publishing process.
More about the paper – supporting the open research movement
As the open research movement continues to gather pace, are mandating the sharing of underlying research data. At the same time, concerns about introducing extra quality control steps around data availability statements (DAS), are driving a discussion about the best way to make data more open, without slowing down publication.
As part of the pilot project to introduce a new Open Data policy at IOPP, an investigation was undertaken, using the Carina Workflow Intelligence platform’s automated workflow analysis capabilities, to understand the impact of assessing data and including policy statements in the journals, on authors and the editorial staff. Changes in revised submission processing times and how often manuscripts were returned to the author were measured.
The results – reducing the DAS impact on editorial workflow processes
From the data gathered by Carina, it was clear that there was an overall increase in revised manuscript submission processing times, as well as an increase in the number of times manuscripts were returned to authors. Detailed analysis using the Carina data was even able to identify the specific DAS type that created the largest impact. Based on this analysis, IOPP improved author communication to emphasise the DAS requirements to the author. Continued monitoring, using Carina, showed that these changes were successful in mitigating the impact on manuscript processing.
It is vitally important for all journal publishers to understand the time, cost, and business implications of adding extra quality control steps around open data and DAS polices to editorial processes. In particular, exploring the differential effects of different policy types will impact the differential feasibility of data sharing policies. Furthermore, the research showed that the careful design of workflows and communication with authors can significantly mitigate the effects.
The benefits of Carina – accurate workflow analysis without the manual overhead
The use of the Carina Workflow Intelligence platform allowed for automatic classification and in-depth measurement of editorial processes, without creating any extra burden for staff and reducing the risk of conscious or unconscious bias
Carina’s ability to measure the precise amount of time that each manuscript took, during quality control checks, allowed for direct comparison of different DAS types. Precise monitoring also enabled a before-and-after comparison of average processing times to evaluate the impact of clearer instructions to authors. In a busy editorial or publishing production environment, it is often challenging to uncover areas of opportunity to reduce overhead and improve efficiency – but Carina made this feasible.
Configured to work with existing editorial and production applications, Carina’s suite of tools make it straightforward to study the impact of publishing workflow changes, without having to rely on self-reporting or adding further workflow burden. Such approaches also enable sophisticated monitoring techniques, including A-B testing of workflows, improved communications and evidence-based decision making.
Want to learn more about Carina to help your workflow?
We would love to tell you more about how Carina could help you to assess the effects on time and workflow as you develop your own journals’ Open Data policy.
