From the press release:

This new report from the RIN in conjuction with JISC, looks at how researchers publish and why, including the motivations that lead them to publish in different formats and the increase in collaboration and co-authorship. It also explores how researchers decide what to cite and the influence of research assessment on their behaviours and attitudes.

It examines the motivations, incentives and constraints that lead UK researchers in different subjects and disciplines to publish and disseminate their work in different ways. It also explores how and why they cite other researchers’ work, as well as how their decisions on publication and citation are influenced by past and anticipated research assessment.

This research has been carried out at a time when there has been considerable debate about the format of the Research Excellence Framework (REF). We hope that the key findings identified in the report may help to illuminate some of the issues raised in the continuing discussions about the structure of the REF.