Publishing or presenting your research#

Last modified: 18 Jun 2024

Key messages#

  1. Safeguarding the anonymity of LPS participants is of paramount importance to UK LLC.

  2. Researchers must only include data in papers/presentations that have been approved through UK LLC’s output review process - see Moving files in and out guide.

  3. All papers and similar outputs must be shared with UK LLC for review prior to submission for publication.

For full details see the UK LLC Publication Policy.

General rules#

  1. All researchers must ensure that their analyses and outputs fall within the scope of their approved project and adhere to data owners’ terms and conditions.

  2. All researchers must acknowledge UK LLC and its partners, collaborators, funders and contributing data owners appropriately. For presentations, a selection of slides with acknowledgements and logos is available on the UK LLC GitHub. For papers, detailed information about LPS for supplementary materials is available on the Resources for Researchers SharePoint.

  3. Datasets from UK LLC’s TRE cannot be published in public databanks. If this is requested, we suggest that you provide the following statement: ‘Data used in this research are made available via UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC), which is a Trusted Research Environment (TRE) developed and operated by the Universities of Bristol and Edinburgh using an underlying ‘Secure eResearch Platform’ provided by Swansea University. These data cannot be used or shared outside this environment. Researchers can apply to access the UK LLC TRE using the procedure outlined in the UK LLC Data Access and Acceptable Use Policy. UK LLC uses a system of managed open access for researchers who demonstrate their project is intended to improve the public good.’

Rules for presentations#

  1. UK LLC does not require to see presentations before they are delivered, but researchers must acknowledge the use and funding of UK LLC’s resource and the collaborative contribution of the LPS and other data owners and partners.

Rules for papers and similar outputs#

  1. All such outputs must be shared with UK LLC for review prior to submission for publication: access@ukllc.ac.uk.

  2. Contributions should be acknowledged using ICMJE authorship guidelines. UK LLC staff, partners and contributing LPS staff are not expected to be authors unless they have provided material input and authorship is justified under ICMJE guidelines.

  3. Outputs should be placed into the public domain as quickly as possible. UK LLC encourages researchers to use a preprint server such as medRxiv to make their outputs publicly available while formal peer review is underway.

  4. Outputs must be published as Open Access in line with UKRI guidelines.

  5. UK LLC staff do not conduct peer-review or scientific assessment.

  6. UK LLC Executive Group reserves the right to submit letters or papers for publication in response to any paper or similar output to explain study procedures or to express an alternative scientific argument.

Review process#

Data owners have devolved responsibility for review of manuscripts to UK LLC to minimise the time taken to release findings into the public domain.

UK LLC will review all manuscripts to check that the publication checklist is adhered to, that all manuscripts fall within the scope of the approved project, that all parties are accurately described and acknowledged and that all project-specific terms and conditions have been followed.

The UK LLC Executive Group may withhold the right to publish any manuscript that threatens to bring UK LLC or any of the contributing data owners into disrepute or which threatens the confidentiality of participants.

Please follow the steps below:

  1. Download the UK LLC Publication Checklist from the Resources for Researchers SharePoint.

  2. Work through all UK LLC’s conditions, ticking them off on the checklist as you go. If a journal’s specific formatting requirements prevent fulfilment of a condition, please provide an explanation.

  3. For your supplementary materials use the document ‘Information about LPS for researchers to include in the Supplementary Materials of their publications’ available on the Resources for Researchers SharePoint.

  4. Submit your completed checklist, your manuscript and lay summary to access@ukllc.ac.uk. with sufficient time for processing.

UK LLC expects to process all manuscripts within two weeks of receipt, but may be able to expedite processing if required. Please note that if there are any substantive changes to the manuscript after UK LLC review, re-review must be sought.