Module 6: Grant and Contract Administration

2.2 Managing a research contract

2.2.3 Deliverables: reports versus publications

Publications. You are well aware that publications are important to your career as an academic. It is through your publications that you report on your discoveries, and it is your peer-reviewed publications that establish your credibility and reputation. Clearly, you need to ensure that publication is acknowledged as an outcome of your project. But the publication of your results in an academic journal is unlikely to be a priority for your funder.

Reports. Your funder is likely to have specific requirements as to how the results are to be reported. For example, in the case of industry, a report might be required to encourage investment in the development of new processes. Where government sponsored research is concerned, the results may be used to inform policy. At the contract negotiation stage you need to discuss the type of report that you will be asked to produce, and at the same time seek agreement for you to be allowed to publish your results in journals appropriate to your discipline.

The balance between confidentiality and collegiality. There is potential for conflict of interest to arise when the work you are contracted to carry out is commercially sensitive and therefore of a confidential nature. Striking a balance between confidentiality and collegiality is a difficult call and you should seek advice from your mentor as how best to deal with conflicting demands on your loyalty.

Activity

The common case study, Safeguarding the Murray–Darling, has been developed around an application to the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage – Projects (LP) scheme. You are involved in the research component that is supported by the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water and clearance may be required prior to publishing. You must publish your results in order to boost your track record, in particular because you want to apply for a fellowship, and your track record must be outstanding for you to have any chance of success.

Knowing in advance about this requirement allows you to instruct the university's lawyer to negotiate a mutually acceptable compromise with the Ministry for Climate Change and Water. What argument could you advance to protect your right to publish?

Discuss with an experienced research project leader (perhaps your mentor) the best way to approach this conflicting situation.