Sharing Your Research

Publishing is not the only way to share your research, and these days there are many more research outputs than just manuscripts. Even after publication, it's a good idea to promote your research through some of the channels mentioned below.

Share your Data

The sharing of data is not only advantageous on a number levels, but is sometimes required by funders and publishers. For more information on data sharing, see our Research Data Management page.

Academia.edu

If you are registered with academia.edu and your publisher's policy allows it, you can share your paper on your profile, either by uploading it or linking to an Open Access version of it. This will then appear on the feeds of researchers who follow you, or researchers whose interests align with your own.

ResearchGate

If you are registered ResearchGate and your publisher's policy allows it, you can share your paper on your profile, either by uploading it or linking to an Open Access version of it. You may find your research is already on ResearchGate, this is because ResearchGate compiles a database based on metadata drawn from existing databases. If this is the case, you can confirm yourself as the author so that it appears on your profile.

You can also add projects on ResearchGate and post updates as your research progresses. Other researchers can then recommend, share or comment on your posts.

LinkedIn

There are two main ways to share your research on LinkedIn. If your research is already published, you can add it in the Accomplishments section of your profile. You can also write an article, which will then appear on the news feeds of your connections and followers. It's important to pitch your content right if you choose to do this - it needs to be understandable to anyone who might find it and read it. Consider adding multimedia content and linking to other platforms such as Slideshare or blogs.

Blogs

Blogging is a great way to reframe your research for a particular audience. You could consider creating a blog on a professional level or dedicated to your research. Alternatively, you may find blogs you can contribute to as a guest writer. Some faculties in the University have their own blogs. If you can, cross-promote anything you write through your other profiles and be sure to use compelling titles and appropriate keywords. Platforms for creating your own blog include WordPress and Blogger.

Video

Videos are a powerful tool to make your research more accessible. You can create a video abstract, talk about your research highlights or summarise your results. Popular video formats include animated, whiteboard and explainer but basic "newsreader" style videos can be easily recorded on any smartphone. There are many apps for editing videos such as Kinemaster and iMovie.

Once your video has been uploaded to a platform such as Vimeo or YouTube, there are many ways of disseminating it as described in the video below.

Sharing your scientific video - American Journal Experts

For more information, check out Adrian Smith's column in Nature about his experience translating his science through video.

Using Social Media

There are many social media platforms for sharing your research. Some tips are provided below:

• Tweet or post a key question or finding from your research, along the with a link (shortened if necessary)
• Tweet or post updates throughout the research process
• Link to the copy in your institutional repository or other Open Access platform where possible (try not to direct people to a paywall or to ResearchGate or Academia.edu)
• Use visuals where you can, e.g. charts or diagrams
• Research and use the best hashtags (hashtagify.me)
• Tag people or institutions where appropriate, e.g. co-authors, research groups or your institution

For more information, see our Social Media page and this article by Kate Wetterstrand on sharing your research via social media.

See also:

Maximising your impact 

Managing your profile

Working with the media

University of Waikato Social Media Resources