The RTVACOS tree: where can your work break?

Research has an effect only if it is found, judged credible and reused. The RTVACOS framework describes this as a multiplicative system: four foundations, where a single weakness drags everything down, and three amplifiers, which scale a solid base but never replace it.

Tick what your project already does. Roots are foundations, branches are amplifiers. A bare root turns the whole tree pale: that is the multiplicative logic.

R · Rigour (foundation)
T · Transparency (foundation)
V · Visibility (foundation)
A · Adoption (foundation)
C · Collaboration (amplifier)
O · Outreach (amplifier)
S · Societal relevance (amplifier)

A mirror for reflection, not a scoring instrument: the authors claim no empirical validation and discuss limits themselves, such as the risk of gamification and the unequal distribution of skills.

The framework

Cyril Voyant, Rodrigo Amaro e Silva, Nicolas Fichaux, Lionel Ménard, Sylvain Cros, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri. Beyond Publish and Pray: Engineering Research Excellence. SSRN, 2026.