All researchers are now encouraged to disseminate their work beyond academia, particularly if they aim to foster engagement and have an impact. However, the immediate benefits of research dissemination are not always clear and, for early-career researchers in particular, the prospect of attracting criticism or even hostility can feel daunting. But to Marte C.W. Solheim, there is great value in […]
Category: research dissemination
Access then impact: using the media as a shortcut to policymakers
As the value of research with impact increases, so too does the importance of first gaining access to policymakers and other persons of influence. One shortcut to doing this is through increased media coverage. Leigh Marshall explains how academics can give their research the best possible chance of being seen and read by policymakers; including by developing close relationships with […]
The “long tail” of research impact is engendered by innovative dissemination tools and meaningful community engagement
Research impact often tends not to happen in one emphatic, public moment but rather at more discrete points of the “long tail” of a research project. Achieving this depends largely on the tenacity of the research team but also on key allies such as the community members and service providers who have become energised by the work and inspired to […]
The future for academic publishers lies in navigating research, not distributing it
The world of scholarly publishing is in upheaval. As the open science and open research movements rapidly gain momentum, the access restrictions and paywalls of many publishers put them at odds with growing parts of the research community. Mattias Björnmalm suggests there is one way for publishers to once again become central, valued members of the research community: by pivoting […]
Academic journals with a presence on Twitter are more widely disseminated and receive a higher number of citations
Previous research has shown that researchers’ active participation on Twitter can be a powerful way of promoting and disseminating academic outputs and improving the prospects of increased citations. But does the same hold true for the presence of academic journals on Twitter? José Luis Ortega examined the role of 350 scholarly journals, analysing how their articles were tweeted and cited. […]
Involve the public in your research; and involve them early. Five steps to effective public engagement
The value of effective public engagement and its importance to achieving impact is now widely recognised by researchers, institutions, scientific bodies, and funders. Despite this, many researchers remain unsure as to how to go about it. Anastasia Skamarauskas outlines a five-step process towards effective public engagement; from initial scoping right the way through to eventual dissemination, with the early involvement […]
Twitter can help with scientific dissemination but its influence on citation impact is less clear
Researchers have long been encouraged to use Twitter. But does researchers’ presence on Twitter influence citations to their papers? José Luis Ortega explored to what extent the participation of scholars on Twitter can influence the tweeting of their articles and found that although the relationship between tweets and citations is poor, actively participating on Twitter is a powerful way of […]