Guidance for submissions

 

The Parks and Green Spaces Research Portal is a host and mediator between academics and parks professionals. It provides easy-to-read summaries of research for the busy parks professional, policy and practice communities. Therefore, the Portal is not a repository for academic journal articles, book chapters, monographs, PhD theses or Masters dissertations, though you may link to open access research publications. Your research items are more likely to be engaged with by busy parks professionals if you upload easy-to-read content which is written for a non-academic audience.

 

Items are moderated and approved before they are made public on the Portal. Items will only be approved if you follow this guidance.

 

General (applies to all Projects/Items)

 

1. Content must be considered to constitute research broadly defined as ‘the planned and detailed study of a subject or issue, especially to discover new information or develop new understanding’. If you are submitting an event or opportunity, it must be related to research. 

 

2. Content must be relevant to parks and green spaces research and professional communities.

 

3. Content must be relevant to the topics covered by the Portal (see topic filter). 

 

4. For content outside of this scope, please contact us [hyperlink] to discuss your submission. 

 

5. Content should be written in clear, legible English. We reserve the right to correct any glaring typos, grammar and spelling but we are not proofreaders!

 

6. You must read and agree to our T&Cs for Portal Collaborators which you will be to confirm at the point of each submission [hyperlink].

 

Projects 

Create a new Project first, then link Research, Event and Opportunity Items to it.

 

1. Projects can be ongoing or completed research, small or large in scale.

 

2. Projects should have a clear title.

 

3. Projects should identify the lead researcher, co-researchers and their organisations. You must have permission if you are submitting on behalf of multiple researchers.We advise all co-researchers to register on the Portal initially, which makes linking research and other items to them a much easier process.

 

4. Projects should select the country. If the project is being conducted in multiple countries, the country of the principal organisation should be selected.

 

5. Projects should acknowledge partner organisation(s) if applicable. 

 

6. Projects should select the type of research: Academic; PhD; Masters; and Professional research undertaken by charities, industry, think tanks, private companies and public sector organisations.

 

7. Projects should acknowledge funder(s) if applicable. 

 

8. Projects should include a start date and end date. 

 

9. Projects should include a summary description, including project aims and research design/methodology. 

 

10. Projects should include an image to be displayed alongside the project summary. You must have permission to use and upload the image.

 

11. Projects should select a maximum of three topics from the list provided.

 

12. Projects may include a URL to a website to direct Portal users to further information. 

 

13. Projects may include logos for the lead organisation, partner organisation(s) and funder(s). A maximum of five logos are permitted.

 

Research items

 

1. Research items are summaries of research project findings. They can be linked to Projects (above) or standalone. 

 

2. Research items should have a clear title.

 

3. Research items should have a brief description for the ‘preview’, which appears when users search the Portal (300 characters). 

 

4. Research items should include an image to be displayed alongside the ‘preview’ description. You must have permission to use and upload the image.

 

5. Research items may include a URL to a website containing more information about the research or a link to the open access journal article, book chapter, thesis or paper. No paywalls please.

 

6. Research items should identify the lead researcher, co-researchers and their organisations to ensure that all those whose who contributed to the research are acknowledged. You must have permission if you are submitting on behalf of multiple researchers. 

 

7. Research items should acknowledge partner organisation(s) if applicable. 

 

8. Research items should describe the aims/purpose of the research written in non-specialist language (300 characters). 

 

9. Research items should describe the research design/methodology written in non-specialist language (300 characters). 

 

PLEASE NOTE: Research submitted to the Portal may or may not have been through peer-review processes. Items must contain a research design/methodology to allow Portal users to consider research quality.

 

10. Research items should summarise the main research findings written in non-specialist language (750 characters). 

 

11. Research items should summaries the main implications of the above findings for parks policy and practice communities who might use and benefit from them (750 characters). 

 

12. Research items should selected the type of research: Academic; Professional; PhD; Masters.

 

13. Research items should acknowledge research funder(s) if applicable. 

 

14. Research items have the option to include a PDF upload. Ideally, PDF uploads should be either a short policy briefing summarising research findings or an easy-to-read research report produced specifically for a range of audiences, including parks professionals. We recommend you view these illustrative examples of effective policy briefings and research reports here: [hyperlinks]. Please read our guidance on Creating An Accessible Research Summary for the Busy Parks Professional [hyperlink].

 

IMPORTANT: Your research item will NOT be approved if the PDF upload is a journal article/abstract, book chapter, PhD thesis, MA dissertation or monograph. If you want to link to such an item, please display your ORCID ID on your Directory profile and/or include a DOI URL link to the open access publication. However, our preference is for you to create an accessible research summary.

 

15. Research items should identify the date the research was first published. 

 

16. Research items should select a maximum of three topics from the list provided.

 

17. Research items may include logos for the lead organisation, partner organisation(s) and funder(s). A maximum of five logos are permitted.

 

18. We expect research items to be based on research conducted according to appropriate ethical, legal and professional frameworks, obligations and standards and in accordance with principles of rigour, integrity, inclusiveness and professionalism.

 

Event items

 

1. Events must be related to research. They can be online or in-person, and should be free to attend.

Events can be linked to Projects (above) or standalone.

 

2. Events should include a clear title.

 

3. Events should have a brief description for the ‘preview’, which appears when users search the Portal (300 characters). 

 

4. Events should include an image to be displayed alongside the event ‘preview’ description. Permission must be sought by the person submitting.

 

5. Events should include a longer description such as the format (e.g. presentation, conference), research topic, speakers and relevance to research and/or parks professional communities.

 

6. Events may include a URL link to a website containing more information. 

 

7. Events should identify the lead person and their organisation (for contact).

 

8. Events should select the country. If the event is in multiple countries, the country of the principal organisation should be selected.

 

9. Events should acknowledge partner organisation(s) if applicable. 

 

10. Events acknowledge research funder(s) if applicable. 

 

11. Events should include the date(s) as well as the start and end time. 

 

12. Events should specify the timezone.

 

13. Events should select a maximum of three topics from the list provided.

 

14. Events may include logos for the lead organisation, partner organisation(s) and funder(s). A maximum of five logos are permitted.

 

Opportunity items

 

1. Opportunities must be related to research. They can be linked to Projects (above) or standalone.

 

2. Opportunities should include a clear title.

 

3. Please select an opportunity category. Opportunities fall into two categories: Looking For and Offering.

 

Looking For include: research participants; speakers; case study site; project partners; help with CPD; Researcher/research advice.

 

Offering include: funded PhD, research funding, research jobs.

 

If your Opportunity does not fall into any of the aforementioned categories, you should contact us [hyperlink] to discuss. 

 

4. Opportunities should have a brief description for the ‘preview’, which appears when users search the Portal (300 characters). 

 

5. Opportunities should include an image to be displayed alongside the ‘preview’ description. You must have permission to use and upload the image.

 

6. Opportunities should include a longer description with additional information if required (750 characters).

 

7. Opportunities may include a URL link to a website containing more information. 

 

8. Opportunities should identify the lead person and their organisation (for contact).

 

9. Opportunities should select the country.

 

10. Opportunities should acknowledge partner organisation(s) if applicable. 

 

11. Opportunities should acknowledge funder(s) if applicable. 
12. Opportunities should include start and end dates. I think we should clarify whether this is the opportunity dates or the application dates e.g. for a job. I am not sure!

 

10. Opportunities should select a maximum of three topics from the list provided.

 

11. Opportunities may include logos for the lead organisation, partner organisation(s) and funder(s). A maximum of five logos are permitted.