This document discusses research object (RO) frameworks for preserving digital research data. It addresses the challenges of research spanning long periods of time and involving complex, heterogeneous data that changes states. The research object framework aims to capture agents, states, relationships, and content to enable automation, reproducibility, and reuse of research. The framework defines three states for research objects - live, curated, and published. Live objects are works in progress, curated objects are packaged for preservation, and published objects are immutable and citable. The framework allows documentation of research processes and outputs to build trust and facilitate reuse.