Outlier Science
Research Consulting and Support Services
Find the service that matches the work you need to improve or complete. The six areas below cover institutional research development and support for specific research projects, from initial planning through publication, funding and infrastructure.
On this page 9 sections
01
Choose by the problem you need to solve
If you are reviewing research across a university, start with the institutional consulting hub. If you need support with a study or manuscript, the researcher hub explains the available stages. You can also use the directory to explore a defined service directly.
A service page explains likely inputs, deliverables and scope boundaries. Some assignments need more than one area of expertise. In that case, a coordinated programme or a staged project can connect the work while keeping responsibility for each part clear.
02
Institutional research performance
Understand the institution's research activity and translate evidence into useful development priorities.
Review data quality, departmental patterns and support gaps to establish a baseline and prioritised actions.
Connect institutional ambitions with research priorities, resources, responsibilities and an implementation roadmap.
Strengthen research planning, manuscript readiness, faculty support and the processes behind suitable submissions.
Interpret publication and citation evidence with attention to data coverage, disciplinary context and responsible assessment.
Define research records, ownership, quality checks and reporting requirements before changing systems or dashboards.
Develop research-led collaboration priorities, assess complementary expertise and plan practical routes to working together.
03
Research operations and standardisation
Make responsibilities, workflows and records clearer across the research lifecycle.
Map recurring work and develop controlled procedures, templates and adoption plans that fit institutional practice.
Define the research office's remit, service routes, roles and capacity around the needs it must meet.
Clarify research approval pathways, decision responsibilities and ethics-process documentation within institutional authority.
Plan data responsibilities, documentation, access, preservation and sharing according to the project's actual requirements.
Develop proportionate guidance for selecting, reviewing and documenting AI-assisted work while preserving research responsibility.
04
Researcher methods and publication support
Choose support for the stage and question that matter to your project.
Refine questions, assess study design, sampling and measurement, and connect the planned evidence with analysis.
Review data suitability and develop transparent analysis, interpretation and reporting around the research question.
Align qualitative approaches or mixed-methods integration with the purpose, material and interpretive responsibilities of the study.
Scope support for protocols, searching, screening, extraction, appraisal and an appropriate evidence synthesis.
Improve language, structure and presentation, with a clear distinction between editing, methodological feedback and collaborative writing.
Compare journal fit, publication model, fees and current coverage, then prepare the agreed submission materials.
Turn reviewer comments into a reasoned revision plan and a clear, traceable response document.
Present verified research outputs in clear figures with suitable labels, uncertainty and accessible design.
05
Funding and research project delivery
Support a funding pipeline, a single application or the delivery of an awarded project.
Connect research strengths and investigator readiness with a planned approach to opportunity identification and application development.
Develop the logic, work plan and presentation of an application around funder requirements and investigator inputs.
Assess a draft against the actual call and identify priorities for a focused, evidence-led revision.
Clarify the expertise, roles and working arrangements needed for a coherent collaborative proposal.
Set up responsibilities, milestones, records and reporting arrangements for the agreed project-delivery scope.
Plan relevant audiences, engagement activities, outputs and evidence of use in relation to the research.
06
Laboratory development, procurement and testing
Connect infrastructure choices with research requirements and practical operating conditions.
Prepare a requirements brief covering scientific demand, workflows, equipment, facilities and the operating model.
Compare specifications, supplier evidence and lifecycle costs before an authorised purchasing decision.
Develop practical procedures, responsibilities and records for the laboratory's defined activities.
Review a proposed accreditation scope, identify evidence gaps and plan qualified preparation work.
Clarify external laboratory requirements and coordinate provider, scope, quotation and reporting questions.
07
Training and capability development
Build understanding through practical learning tied to research tasks and institutional needs.
Develop skills in study planning, analysis and interpretation through appropriately scoped exercises.
Help researchers organise manuscripts, explain contributions and navigate journal preparation and revision.
Practise connecting a research idea with funder criteria, a coherent work plan and a reviewable application.
Build a learning programme around the research roles, starting knowledge and practical priorities of your institution.
08
Consulting, training or a programme
Consulting addresses a defined research or institutional problem. Training develops the knowledge and skills of participants. A programme coordinates related activities over time, with explicit review points and client responsibilities.
For example, a department may need a manuscript-development workshop, direct support for selected studies or both. Those choices have different inputs and deliverables and should be scoped separately. Explore the programme options if several stages need to connect.
09
Ask for help choosing a scope
Describe the challenge, the material already available and what you need to decide or produce. A short initial message is enough. The appropriate expertise, availability, delivery arrangements and quotation are confirmed before an engagement is agreed.