Writing a research paper takes a lot of time, and everyone likes to be acknowledged for their hard work. Writing a paper is one thing but ensuring that your research paper is discoverable online requires some strategies. You do not want your efforts to go in vain if you do not know how to increase research paper discoverability online. There are some techniques for increasing research paper discoverability online. This article will guide you on ways to increase your research paper discoverability online.
1. Index your Article in Multiple Databases
The indexing of research papers in online databases increases their discoverability. Researchers who publish their research papers in indexed journals, search engines that cater to their subjects, and mainstream search engines increase their research paper discoverability online. Open Access journals and free internet search engines such as Google increase the accessibility of papers.
Indexation requires planning because many scholars tend to neglect this aspect. It requires making strategies to index your research paper before publishing them. The indexation strategy depends on which segment of the people you want to discover in your paper. Moreover, it also depends upon the indexation criteria of different databases and search engines. Databases indexes that display full-text articles increase the chances of research paper discoverability.
Moreover, another critical thing to consider about indexation is to index your research paper in multiple databases and search engines. You can index your research papers in the following search engines:
· Google Scholar
· Semantic Scholar
· ProQuest
· Bing
· Microsoft Academic
You can also index your research paper in the following general databases that cover papers from various disciplines:
· Ulrichsweb
· Elsevier
· JSTOR
· Directory of Open Access Journal (DOA)
· Scopus
· Web of Science
· SciHub
· Academic Search (EBSCO)
· Research Gate
· Academia
To increase your research paper’s discoverability to the general audience, you should get your paper indexed in general search engines. But general search engines and databases do not index your paper based on citation count or other parameters. So, if you want to increase research paper accessibility to the scholarly community, consider getting the paper indexed in scholarly search engines and databases.
2. Use Keywords in Your Research Paper
The usage of keywords is the most crucial strategy in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Google’s algorithm drives organic traffic to those online materials which have a combination of keywords. Text material, either academic or content related, which does not have proper keywords, does not get highlighted in the popular searches. So, if you want to increase the research paper’s discoverability, use keywords in your research paper. But using keywords does not mean that you have to stuff your research paper with keywords. Keyword usage requires strategies to incorporate keywords in the text that seem natural and are used at multiple points in a smart manner.
Keywords are the search queries of people who search for information online. The keywords of your research paper must be relevant to the people’s search queries. So, you will have to identify the trending keywords related to your research topic or subject area.
You can check the research papers that appear in the popular searchers and see how they use keywords and what kind of keywords. You can use a combination of short-tail and long-tail keywords in your research paper to increase the research paper discoverability online. Here are some tips for researchers on how to find and use keywords in their keywords:
· Identify the popular and relevant keywords in your discipline
· Search for the popular and relevant terminologies and concepts
· The keywords must shed light on the main topic of your research paper
· Use Google keyword planner or other keyword planning tools to help you find the relevant keywords
· Use one or more relevant keywords in the title, abstract and at multiple points in the main body. Remember, the usage of keywords must not disrupt the flow of ideas. Do not use them unnecessarily and place keywords in the text that seems natural and grammatically correct
· Incorporate your keywords in the first 50-60 characters of your research. The metadata of search engines retrieves the first 50-60 characters based on keywords
· Do not incorporate those keywords that are newly coined phrases, abbreviations, or colloquial language. Instead, use the prevalent terminologies and jargon from your discipline as keywords.
· Distribute keywords proportionally throughout the research paper
3. Properly Organise and Structure Your Research Paper
The next step to ensure research paper discoverability online is planning and structuring your paper in the following format.
· Title
· Abstract
· Aims and Objectives
· Introduction
· Literature Review
· Research Methodology
· Results and Discussion
· Conclusion and Recommendations
· References/Bibliography
The next thing is to fine-tune your title. The title is the first thing that comes to the reader’s attention when searching for papers online. You must ensure that the title of your research paper is appropriate, short and includes the relevant keywords.
A title must represent the aims and objectives of the research proposal help and the main problem that you want to address. You do not have to include the problem statement in the title but use some keywords that hint at the main part of your research. You should use an intriguing title to grab the reader’s attention.
4. Write a Good Abstract
An abstract is a brief summary of your research paper that captures the essence of your research. It is a synopsis of your entire research and essential to increase research paper discoverability online. It must briefly summarise your research paper’s key points, findings, and conclusions. Use appropriate and relevant keywords in the abstract to attract more online traffic to your research paper.
5. Networking and social media
You can use social media platforms to promote your research paper. You can paste the links to your research paper on social media platforms. Moreover, you can also increase your network and associate with scholars online through LinkedIn and Research Gate.
Conclusion
Increasing your research paper discoverability online requires using Search Engine Optimisation techniques and indexing the paper in multiple databases. Moreover, you also have to carefully plan the structure of your research paper and optimise the paper title and abstract.
