Bridging Disciplines: What is the Best Path to Publishing Together?

You lead a study on environmental factors and human health, generating data that could potentially change practice. Multiple institutions and experts from diverse fields, such as environmental science, epidemiology, and public health, contributed to the study, each with different publication priorities, speed, collaboration, transparency. Now you must decide on the best approach for publishing the findings. What would you do?

• A. Ensure that the authors of the primary paper reflect the range of research fields involved in the study, while recognizing that a large author group may delay manuscript development and publication. The resulting publication would present the scientific findings and integrate insights from different perspectives, contributing to a holistic understanding of the research.
• B. Ensure that the authors of the primary paper reflect the range of researchers and the lay public, who will ultimately benefit from the findings. This approach could involve creating accessible summaries, infographics, and interactive content that communicate the key findings to a broader audience, and/or organizing virtual town hall meetings or online forums to engage with the public and gather different perspectives.
• C. Focus on publishing the results quickly with a small author list, by uploading a preprint of the manuscript to a reputable server. A preprint would provide immediate access to the research community, accelerate the sharing of knowledge, and allow experts to engage with and weigh in on the findings before the formal peer-review process.
• Focus on publishing the results quickly with a small author list, by publishing in an outlet that supports post-publication peer review, whereby the article can undergo scrutiny and receive feedback from the scientific community even after it is published. This approach allows continuous improvement and refinement of the research based on real-world input. (see, for example, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4472664/).

This poll is now closed. Results will be posted in March 2026.