How we communicate research is changing because of new (especially digital) possibilities. This article sets out 10 easy steps researchers can take to disseminate their work in novel and engaging ways, and hence increase the impact of their research on science and society.

Open peer review (OPR) is moving into the mainstream, but it is often poorly understood and surveys of researcher attitudes show important barriers to implementation. As more journals move to implement and experiment with the myriad of innovations covered by this term, there is a clear need for best practice guidelines to guide implementation. This brief article aims to address this knowledge gap, reporting work based on an interactive stakeholder workshop to create best-practice guidelines for editors and journals who wish to transition to OPR. Although the advice is aimed mainly at editors and publishers of scientific journals, since this is the area in which OPR is at its most mature, many of the principles may also be applicable for the implementation of OPR in other areas (e.g., books, conference submissions). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s41073-019-0063-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The growing dissatisfaction with the traditional scholarly communication process and publishing practices as well as increasing usage and acceptance of ICT and Web 2.0 technologies in research have resulted in the proliferation of alternative review, publishing and bibliometric methods. The EU-funded project OpenUP addresses key aspects and challenges of the currently transforming science landscape and aspires to come up with a cohesive framework for the review-disseminate-assess phases of the research life cycle that is fit to support and promote open science. The objective of this paper is to present first results and conclusions of the landscape scan and analysis of alternative peer review, altmetrics and innovative dissemination methods done during the first project year.

Research dissemination is undergoing a phase of transformation, in large driven by the power of new digitally-networked technologies and the movement beyond traditional, journal-based forms of communication. This has paralleled a greater push towards public engagement with science since the 1980s, with an emphasis on new forms of participation beyond scholarly audiences. Here, we take innovative dissemination to mean dissemination that goes beyond traditional venues for academic publishing in order to achieve more widespread research uptake and understanding.In this paper, we present ten steps that researchers can take in order to embrace these practices in their research activities. We address key aspects and challenges of the currently transforming scientific landscape, and propose recommendations and solutions addressing the needs of a variety of key stakeholders, including researchers, innovators, the general public, and research funding bodies. The purpose of this paper is to provide advice to these groups in order to facilitate their dissemination activities with a greater knowledge of the methods, tools and services at their disposal.

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