Improving impact
Improving Impact by Online Visibility
It is important for researchers to control their own online presence. What will one find when one enter your name into Google? What do you want them to find? See below some advice on improving your online visibility, in order that others will find the information you want them to find and also to improve your citations.
Institutional and open repositories
Self-archive your research publications in Stellenbosch University's institutional repository
SUNScholar (if the publisher allows it) and other subject repositories such as
arXiv.org or
SSRN. This will help make your research discoverable, your citations might increase and Google will track when you have been cited.
Professional networking sites
Your
LinkedIn profile may be the top item on a Google search using your name, therefore it is important to make sure that the information on your profile is accurate and up to date.
Profiles focusing on your research products
The following products focus specifically on your research. Creating and maintaining your profile on these sites will make others aware of your research and help you see the impact of your work on the research community:
ORCID,
Kudos,
figshare,
ImpactStory.
Social media
Twitter is very popular among researchers as a place to share recent publications, opinions about research on your topic and many more. A
Facebook profile may also be used to share information about your research.
Academic networking sites for researchers
ResearchGate,
academia.edu and
Mendeley are examples of academic networking sites for researchers. You can discover new research on your topic (sometimes even including full text articles), find collaborators and update your online profile. Your profiles will show when someone searches your name on Google.
Research Group websites
It is helpful to have and maintain a detailed research group or departmental website. It is important to update it regularly with your recent publications and research interests. You may also consider to start a research group blog where you can share any content about your research group or their work.
