How to...
Ensure your article is downloaded

As an author, you can improve the chances of your article reaching a wider audience, before you even submit it for peer review.

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Make an impact

Getting people reading and engaging with your research is key if you want your work to have an impact.

Here are the three steps that you can take to help your research be discovered:

  1. Ensure your title is simple and clear, and it summarises your research.
  2. Use appropriate keywords and phrases which reflect your research. The keywords don’t have to be included in your title, but they should be in your abstract.
  3. Write an informative abstract which contains some or all of the keywords you have chosen. The abstract is one of the main things a search engine will use to determine how highly an article should be ranked in its search results. It is also one of the first things a reader will see when they come to read your article. So spend time writing your abstract.

You can learn more about making your research easy to find with our How to make your research easy to find with SEO guide.

Watch this animation to learn our top three tips on how you can improve the discoverability of your publications, and get your work seen.

How can you ensure your article has impact? It all starts with taking action before submission.

To gain impact you must focus on improving search engine optimisation (SEO). This is the use of descriptive titles and relevant keywords to maximise the number of visitors to a webpage.

Simply by using a good title and abstract, along with better keywords, you can obtain a higher appearance on search engine results lists and, in turn, receive more downloads and a wider readership.

There are three straightforward steps you can take that will help your article achieve high usage:

Step 1 – use a descriptive title that includes important keywords that are most relevant to your article. You should also ensure your title is unambiguous in terms of both meaning and word order.

Step 2 – it is important to use appropriate keywords and phrases within your article. There are a number of ways you can do this:

  • put yourself in the researchers shoes, making sure you cover all angles of the research when considering potential keywords;
  • avoid jargon at all costs;
  • remember that key words don't have to be singlewords, key phrases are just as important;
  • think about keywords for wider subject areas that are not included in your title;
  • use synonyms;
  • include variants such as acronyms, for example, United States of America is more commonly known as USA;
  • think internationally, for example, using both the US term 'real estate' and UK term 'property market' within an article on housing, and last but not least;
  • don't overuse key words, always keep them relevant and appropriate to the research.

Step 3 – write an informative abstract as this is where the search engine will get its data from. Make sure you include keywords and phrases within the abstract. Try to imagine the abstract as a shop-window, attracting readers to the main article via one-click. It may also be useful to consider doing a video abstract, as this could help communicate your key messages.

So remember these three main points:

  1. Use a title with key terms
  2. Include intelligent keywords in the title and throughout the article
  3. Pay special attention to using keywords within the abstract.

Following these simple steps will give your article the impact it deserves.