Increase research visibility

When you get started on your research, you should take time to consider how you’ll present your data, what method you’ll use to publish and if it can be made open access – which can all contribute to the visibility of your research.

Name and label your research clearly 

Consider the language used in your title. If your title plainly communicates the topic of your study, and is direct and concise, it could promote readership and it is more likely to reach your intended audience. 

Think carefully about your keywords and include them in your abstract and full text. This will help your reader better understand your content and may improve the visibility of your research in search results. 

Stay consistent with your name format so that all relevant papers can be attributed to you. Inconsistent name formats can sometimes arise when profiles are automatically generated by database suppliers therefore it is always worth checking if they need to be curated or merged as appropriate. Using your ORCID iD will also help with this. 

Use the standard institutional affiliation “University of Leeds” on all research outputs to improve the discoverability of your research, rather than abbreviations or only including your school, faculty or research group.  

Decide where to publish 

When deciding where to publish, consider the discoverability of your chosen journal. Think about whether it is indexed by major databases like Dimensions and Scopus, which are both credible multidisciplinary databases.

Check if the journal allocates a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), a unique character sequence link that can be cited, tracked and linked to you.  

Publish open access 

You can choose to publish your research as open access as a way to potentially increase the visibility and accessibility of your work. Look at the open access options offered by your chosen journal, as well as any associated article processing charges or other publication fees.

It’s good to find out if your chosen journal allows you to deposit your author accepted manuscript in a repository and, if it is a hybrid journal, whether it is part of a Plan-S transitional agreement. If you can do this, you may be able to take the green open access route and avoid paying article processing charges (APCs). 

Watch this video to understand the open research publishing process:

Add your research outputs to Symplectic 

Symplectic is the University’s research information system, which holds details of research outputs and professional activities. As a researcher you have a Symplectic profile (with your University login credentials) automatically available. It’s a University requirement to add your research outputs to Symplectic as soon as possible after acceptance. They will then be made open access via the White Rose Research Online Repository.  

Take a look at how to update your Symplectic profile: