These are Webb's first science images, so published papers will come out of them. Of course, those papers will have additional data and analysis to go alongside it, but they absolutely are looking at details resolved in these specific images, processed in this specific way.
So I'm not sure where the sentiment that these are just images for the public is coming from. That's certainly part of why these observations were made and processed this way, but there is science too.
"but they absolutely are looking at details resolved in these specific images, processed in this specific way."
I don't think you're correct. PR images from telescopes aren't new, so if you are correct then surely you'll be able to find papers based on older photoshopped images from Hubble.
There are countless examples. The reason they composite the sensor layers in the first place is because they are trying to color code gases and dust for use by scientists. In some cases they are trying to highlight features that would be too dim otherwise.
Here is an example of color-coded images from Hubble being used - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/345911/pdf - The same beautiful image used to get the public excited about space is used in Fig2 to locate where helium, nitrogen, and oxygen are in a planetary nebula. Even the 'Pillars of Creation' image was used for this sort of analysis, though it was less interesting than most images.
"Beautiful" just happens to overlap with "highest contrast and most useful for study". JWST has more sensors than ever before, so it will be more colorful than ever before.
So I'm not sure where the sentiment that these are just images for the public is coming from. That's certainly part of why these observations were made and processed this way, but there is science too.