MERLIN Assessment-Ready Project Knowledge Interface: document-level thematic, knowledge-pillar and contributor metadata

This record contains the MERLIN Assessment-Ready Project Knowledge Interface, developed to make the heterogeneous outputs of the MERLIN research and innovation project more accessible and navigable for environmental assessment processes. The interface organises 122 peer-reviewed papers and project reports in a single filterable Excel worksheet. Each row represents one output and includes bibliographic information, output type, thematic classification, knowledge-pillar scores, contributor-composition metadata, and a link to the original source. Documents discussed in the accompanying study are identified as entry points for closer examination. The thematic component comprises four analytical themes: Ecosystem Restoration; Mainstreaming & Transformative Change; Finance & Scaling Pathways; and Equity, Inclusion & Knowledge Systems. For the 73 documents retained for clustering, the interface also provides assignment to one of three empirically derived thematic domains. The remaining documents are included without a domain assignment; their analytical-theme shares are retained as descriptive information. Seven knowledge pillars characterise the functions represented by each output: Methods, Evidence, Concepts, Practice and Implementation, Stakeholder Engagement, Policy, and Capacity Building. Contributor metadata are reported as document-level relative shares covering disciplinary background, institutional affiliation, geographic region, and estimated gender composition. Gender information is approximate and was inferred from publicly available information; it should not be interpreted as self-identification. The interface is intended as a navigation and prioritisation tool for assessment teams and as a portfolio-mapping tool for research-project coordinators. It helps users identify potentially relevant documents and examine their thematic, functional, and contributor characteristics. It does not assess or certify the credibility, quality, generalisability, or evidential weight of individual outputs; these judgements remain the responsibility of expert reviewers. The interface was developed using the MERLIN project as a demonstration case but is intended to illustrate an approach that can be adapted to other large and heterogeneous research and innovation portfolios.