Working with stakeholders from across scholarly communications, we aim to go beyond the traditional research article to address two systemic barriers to open science: a lack of recognition for all research outputs, and the economic costs that prevent broader participation. The first of four stakeholder convenings brought together institutional leadership, early career researchers, and open science organizations to discuss open science and academic incentives, and took place last month in Washington D.C. We heard from different perspectives on the need for better recognition of all contributions to science which aren’t captured when research articles remain the central measure of academic merit – for research funding, and researcher career advancement.