The Digital Researcher: Building Academic Influence in a Connected World.
The researcher in the digital age is a very different creature to that of the pre-digital era. If previously the influence of academic papers was measured by the reputation of the institution and the journals that they were published in, by the prestige of the journal itself, by the academic conferences that researchers attended then this still holds relevance today. However, to build academic influence in the present day researcher needs to understand the power of digital visibility and strategically communicating their work.
Millions of research papers are now published, readily available through academic databases, repositories, digital libraries and many more! This offers an unparalleled opportunity for researcher but also a challenge of making their work stand out from the vast sea of published material.
One of the most vital measurements of influence is citations; this shows that work has provided useful knowledge to subsequent studies and has been built upon by further research in that field. Having a high number of citations can be one of the keys to securing grants, obtaining academic employment and international collaboration.
It is vital to maintain an up to date digital profile. A researcher should have a thorough profile on databases such as Google Scholar, ORCID or other professional research networks and these profiles should be complete with correct publication lists, affiliation and research interests. This allows other scholars around the world to find out about pertinent research.
Another factor which influences ease of accessibility to a research paper is the searchability of a work. The titles and keywords of research must be clear, concise and easily understandable. A long, technical title might put off a potential reader and lead to a reduction in citations; a research title should ideally aim for an immediate understanding and clarity of subject matter.
Communication should extend to sharing research results outside of the conventional academic literature; sharing summaries of research with a wider audience through, for instance, delivering webinars or writing opinion articles to specific media channels could enhance and extend its audience. Research summaries shared in online forums or discussions can lead to stimulating academic dialogue and encourage greater use and dissemination of results.
Interdisciplinary and international collaborations are crucial to advancing academic knowledge. In order to tackle some of the greatest global issues we need researchers from different disciplines, disciplines which may often be located internationally, so the ability to develop effective collaboration with these international researchers is vital.
As always with academic work, consistency of output is extremely important when building credibility. Researchers who continually contribute high quality research in a given field begin to be recognized with that field of research, establishing credibility over time.
The concept of the 'digital researcher' is therefore an essential concept to the pursuit of influencing the direction of academia. Academic research in today's world can no longer simply 'be' there in the journals and archives of previous centuries, in order to exert the maximum amount of influence a researcher has to make their work 'seen'.
Ultimately it will be the academic researcher of the future that understands how to perform both scientific and communication excellence to not just identify new areas for study and research, but to ensure that this knowledge reaches those individuals who can build upon it and use it.
Read More: https://www.globalxpublications.com/blog/how-to-increase-research-citations-and-academic-visibility
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