What are non-traditional research outputs (NTROs)?

NTROs comprise a wide variety of outputs that differ in their form and mode of production. They include creative work as research and non-traditional outputs of traditional research that range from highly experimental works of creative art – music or visual art, creative writing, dance or design – through to scholarly editions and translations, website creation, exhibitions of archaeological or scientific objects and commissioned reports. (University of Sydney Library, n.d)

For researchers producing NTROs, they often need to be more proactive from the outset with regard to compiling metrics for their research output because of the different sources they are coming from.

Getting started

(Adapted from the University of Sydney Library, Strategic Publishing Toolkit)

NTROs are disseminated through diverse means that can vary widely according to form and discipline. Pathways to dissemination may be less well-defined than for traditional publications. As a result, it can be difficult to generalise about selecting the best outlet for your work.  (University of Sydney Library, n.d)

For researchers needing measures on their NTROs, some examples that could be considered for different types of outputs are below.

• Evaluate the quality of the gallery, venue, event, or outlet in terms of reputation and reach. For example, who are the people or organisation responsible and how are they regarded by their peers and mentors? What contacts and regular clients do they have? Are their events or exhibitions reviewed or covered by the media? What was provided in terms of advertising and promotion?
• For research reports written for external bodies, is the body widely known and well regarded in their field? How was the report disseminated and promoted? Do they have download statistics? Are there a number of websites the report sits on/links to?
• Was support for their outreach activities provided? For example, were promotional materials produced that were shared online? Is a catalogue, recordings or photography available? Is there an accompanying website that can be linked to in social media posts or on their personal website? How many views has it had? How much engagement was there from social media?
• Were they permitted to make a digital copy of their output available via an online repository like QUT eprints? How many downloads has it had and where from?
• Do they have access to data to support the evaluation of the success of the output and their strategy? This might include attendance or ticket sales numbers, website visits or downloads. If this data has not been collected by the organisation or platform, did they have ways that they recorded their own data?