Enhance your article’s discoverability
By Audrey Matusz
Did you know that more than 85% of traffic to published journal articles comes from Google and Google Scholar searches? Inspired by SAGE Publisher Inc.’s tips on enhancing discoverability, here are some ways in which you can help make your article more visible and retrievable for other researchers in your field.
Where’s the link?
A common thing academics, students and even RCGV members forget is including links in their CV or work profile page. Take it from a journalist, learning institution websites are where many professionals begin when sourcing data for articles, social initiatives and non-profits — to name a few.
Another tip: Add a link to your article on relevant Wikipedia subject pages. More and more students are using Wikipedia as the starting point for their research.
The Devil’s in the SEO
As a researcher, your mind is constantly full of fresh information waiting to be marinated and synthesized. If you are new to the four, fundamental quadrants of SEO strategy, check out this 13-minute video on quick tricks to drive up your search-ability. Spoiler alert: Use Google Analytics to find what keywords people are searching to land on your work (called keyword targets). Consider using those words to rename title tags (also known as a headline) on posts about your personal work.
Become a cyber warrior
If you’re not on Twitter or Facebook, why not join and connect with communities of like–minded people? Twitter is a micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read short messages known as “tweets”. Salma Patel, a doctoral researcher at Warwick University, made a short Prezi on ways researchers can use Twitter to their advantage.
Facebook lets users add friends, follow organizations and update colleagues about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school or common interests. For example, if your main target are health care professionals, ask to join a Facebook group and share your research. Keep in mind many Facebook groups have guidelines prohibiting self-promotion. The self-promotion they are referring to are the selling of services and products. Sharing useful information that directly relates to the members falls within the group’s purpose.
Links to Facebook groups and pages with a specific audience:
Gender-Based Violence, domestic abuse and health care professionals
Evidence-Based Psychology Community
Domestic Violence Intervention & Education
Don’t neglect your LinkedIn profile
It’s simple, list your articles on your LinkedIn profile (don’t forget the link!). LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world with over 55 million members. It is not just for career opportunities. When you create your profile that summarizes your professional expertise and accomplishments, why not including mention of your articles? You can also join groups on LinkedIn related to your research and post links to your article on group pages
Translate your work into sharable, digestible mediums
Ever considered translating your research into a short, more digestible chunk of content to get audiences hooked and wanting more. Trust me, it’s a lot less sketchy than it sounds. Consider turning your abstract into a vibrant, two-minute animated video or dazzling graphic. Suggestions for shortening your research
- Build a magazine
- Record an interview — To record interviews or phone calls, try Anchor.fm
- Record a video — According to the content strategists at Hootsuite, video posts see even higher engagement than photo posts. Use videos for interviews or to animate discussion points from research. Then add the clips to a YouTube playlist.
- Make a silent video
Connect withSAGE
SAGE has several social media channels where they can help cross-promote your content. Connect with SAGE, post on their Facebook page, and send them direct messages about your promotional efforts so they can re-post, re-Tweet, and help spread the word!
Need help pulling off some multimedia splendor? Email Audrey, RCGV’s digital communications specialist, at matuszau@msu.edu.
