In an earlier post, we noted the complex scholarly ecosystem consisting of changing platforms, new tools, and new work flows for researchers and academic libraries. This week we get another view of the future of scholarly research from the  International Association of STM Publishers (STM) as they published their 2015 Tech Trends (and infographic.)

Notable in the STM trends analysis is the emphasis on research data. They also highlight the need for reputation management, both for individual researchers and institutions as they reply to mandates from funding entities. The trend of the changing research product (or the research article +) will impact researchers, publishers and libraries.

“… the developing form of the scholarly article as published output encompasses a variety of non-textual forms of content (video, data, software methods, other media, etc.). Those elements will ultimately be packaged, presented, and preserved in a smart network of connections that more effectively meet the needs of specific communities. In such a smart network, is the traditional article still recognized as in the print environment? Not necessarily, and even the term “article” may be a misnomer of sorts. But whatever those packaged elements may be called, it is clear that STM publishers are thinking about what form the evolving scholarly record may take in science and in academia.”

Source: Emerging from the STM Meeting: 2015 Top Tech Trends by Jill O’Neill 4.27.2015

See the STM Tech Trends 2015 web site for more details.