10 Ways to Boost the Impact of Your Research
#2
Be strategic about choosing keywords and titles
Think carefully when choosing keywords and titles. Remember that your research will generally appear higher in search results where a keyword is used multiple times, especially in the title and abstract.
Title
- A good title:
- Typically 10-12 words long
- Concise
- Differentiates from other, similar papers
- Contains keywords
- Avoids lesser-known acronyms or jargon
- Predicts the content of the research
- Reflects the tone of the research
- Conforms to publication/discipline norms or guidelines
Keywords
- Consider controlled/common vocabulary if relevant
- Conform to publication guidelines
- Repeat keywords used in title if guidelines allow this
- Choose keywords commonly used in your field
- Analyse search results for ideas
Abstract
- Repeat keywords
- Keep to the word limit
- Sufficiently representative of the whole document to be read standalone
- Don't include ambiguous references or insignificant detail