Visibility for a researcher and their research output is important in today's interconnected academic landscape.
Being visible as a researcher has the following advantages:
In summary, being visible as a researcher and promoting the visibility of your research output is about maximizing the impact of your work, fostering collaboration, and contributing to the broader advancement of knowledge and societal well-being.
ORCID, which stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID, is a unique and persistent digital identifier assigned to individual researchers. It serves as a universal and unambiguous way to distinguish one researcher from another, providing a consistent link between you and your research activities throughout your career. It helps eliminate authorship ambiguity, especially in fields where researchers share similar names or undergo name changes. With an ORCID, your scholarly work is correctly attributed to you, preventing confusion and ensuring accurate recognition for your contributions.
USE YOUR ORCID iD EFFECTIVELY
| SUGGESTION | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| Keep your ORCID profile up to date with accurate and relevant information. | Link all your researcher profiles, connect Scopus and Web of Science profiles, add keywords, add South Africa, add your current employment and highest qualitfication. |
| Link your ORCID iD to other research Profiles. | Connect your ORCID iD to other research profiles, such as Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia,edu, Dimensions, LinkedIn, or the Unisa Institutional Repository. This ensures a consistent and linked online presence. |
| Include your ORCID iD on manuscripts and other submissions. | Include your ORCID iD in your publication submissions, conference abstracts, and other scholarly outputs. This helps in proper attribution and ensures that your work is correctly associated with your ORCID iD. |
| Link your ORCID iD to your research output. | Many publishers, repositories, and academic platforms allow you to link your ORCID iD to your research outputs. Take advantage of this feature to ensure that your publications are connected to your ORCID iD. |
| Enable auto-updates. | Some publishers and platforms offer automatic updating of your ORCID record when you publish with them. Enable this feature to keep your ORCID profile synchronized with your latest publications. |
| Use ORCID in grant applications. | Include your ORCID iD in grant applications. This not only provides a clear identification of your contributions but also ensures that your funded projects are linked to your ORCID profile. |
| Promote your ORCID iD in academic networks. | Advocate for the use of ORCID within your academic community. Encourage colleagues and students to create their own ORCID iDs to establish a standardized and reliable system for authorship attribution. |
A Google Scholar Profile is a public profile within Google Scholar that allows researchers to showcase their scholarly work, publications, and citation metrics. It serves as a comprehensive and authoritative source for others to explore an individual researcher's academic contributions as it showcases the researcher's citations and h-index and related metrics.D
Google Scholar finds references for a researcher's profile through automated methods that continuously crawl and index scholarly content on the web. It uses algorithms to identify and link publications to researchers based on various factors, including author names, affiliations, and publication details. Additionally, researchers can manually claim their publications and merge them into their profile, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
A Scopus Researcher Profile is a personal profile within the Scopus database that captures your research output published in Scopus and creates an automated researcher profile based on your publications found in Scopus. You can connect your ORCID to your Scopus Profile to claim the automated researcher profile that Scopus created.
Scopus is widely used by the academic community and is considered a reputable database for tracking citations and publications. A researcher's profile within Scopus serves as a reliable record of their academic contributions, making it easier for peers, collaborators, and institutions to assess the impact of their work.
Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivering a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities, Scopus features smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research.
A Web of Science Researcher Profile is a personalized profile within the Web of Science database and provides a centralized and authoritative source for documenting a researcher's academic work indexed in the Web of Science. A researcher's profile within this database serves as a reliable record of their publications and citations, making it easier for peers, collaborators, and institutions to assess the impact of their research.
The Web of Science offers advanced citation metrics, including the h-index, citation count, and citation indices. These metrics offer quantitative measures of a researcher's influence and the impact of their work within their field. Incorporating these metrics into a researcher's profile allows them to showcase their scholarly impact, aiding in career development, grant applications, and institutional evaluations.
Access the world’s leading scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
This is a library guide which provides guidance in creating an online presence for researchers. The aim is to be e-visible and not invisible.
Welcome to the UnisaIR
A ResearchGate Researcher Profile is a personalized profile on ResearchGate, a professional network for researchers and scientists. It serves as a central hub where researchers can showcase their academic achievements, share publications, connect with peers, and collaborate on scientific projects.
The following strategies can be used to utilize ResearchGate's functionality to the fullest:
| SUGGESTION | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| Upload and Showcase Publications | Utilize the "Publications" section to upload and showcase your research papers, articles, conference papers, and other publications. Include detailed information, such as abstracts and keywords, to enhance discoverability. Remember to make sure that the full text of your publication is copyright cleared before you upload it. You can make use of Sherpa Romeo to check a journal's copyright policy. |
| Create a Comprehensive Profile | Complete your ResearchGate profile with accurate and up-to-date information, including your academic background, research interests, and a professional profile picture. |
| Highlight Your Research Contributions | Highlight key contributions to your field, including significant findings, methodologies, or innovative approaches in your research. |
| Connect with Other Researchers | Connect with colleagues, collaborators, and researchers in your field. Expanding your network increases the visibility of your profile and publications. |
| Join and Participate in Research Communities | Join relevant research communities or groups on ResearchGate. Participate in discussions, share insights, and stay informed about the latest developments in your field. |
| Engage with Questions and Answers | Answering questions related to your expertise or research area can showcase your knowledge and increase your visibility within the ResearchGate community. |
| Use Keywords and Tags | Optimize your profile and publications with relevant keywords and tags. This improves the chances of your work appearing in searches related to your research. |
| Share Updates and Research Progress | Share regular updates about your ongoing research, recent findings, or publications. This keeps your followers informed and engaged. |
| Utilize the "Projects" Section | Use the "Projects" section to highlight collaborative research projects you are involved in. Provide details about the project goals, collaborators, and outcomes. |
| Endorsements and Recommendations | Request endorsements for your skills from colleagues and collaborators. Positive endorsements add credibility to your profile. Seek recommendations from peers or collaborators to provide more detailed insights into your contributions and capabilities. |
| Monitor Analytics and Impact | ResearchGate provides analytics on the performance of your profile and publications. Monitor views, downloads, and citations to understand the impact of your research. |
| Link to Other Professional Profiles | Include links to your other professional profiles, such as LinkedIn or your university webpage, to provide a comprehensive view of your academic presence. |
| Utilize ResearchGate for Collaboration | Leverage ResearchGate to find potential collaborators, co-authors, or experts in your field. Actively engage in collaboration opportunities within the platform. |
An Academia.edu researcher profile is a personalized profile on Academia.edu, a platform designed to help researchers and academics share and discover scholarly work. This profile serves as a centralized space where researchers can showcase their academic achievements, share research papers, and connect with other scholars in their field.
Here are some strategies that can be used to utilize Academia.edu effectively:
| SUGGESTION | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| Complete and Optimize Your Profile: | Create a comprehensive profile with your academic background, research interests, and a professional profile picture. Use relevant keywords in your profile to make it easily discoverable by others in your field. |
| Upload and Showcase Your Publications | Use the platform to upload and showcase your research papers, articles, and other publications. Include detailed information such as abstracts, keywords, and publication dates. Ensure that your papers are set to "public" to maximize visibility. Remember to make sure that the full-text of your publication is copyright cleared before you upload it. You can make use of Sherpa Romeo to check a journal's copyright policy. |
| Follow and Connect with Researchers: | Follow researchers and scholars whose work aligns with your interests. This can help you stay updated on the latest research in your field. Connect with other academics to expand your network and increase visibility and make use of the opportunities for collaboration that Academia.edu provides. Explore potential collaborations by connecting with researchers whose work complements yours. |
| Join Relevant Research Groups: | Participate in and join research groups or communities on Academia.edu that are relevant to your field. Engage in discussions, share insights, and connect with other researchers. |
| Use Keywords and Tags: | Include relevant keywords and tags in your papers and profile. This improves the discoverability of your work when others search for topics related to your research. |
| Share Updates and Research Findings: | Regularly share updates about your research, ongoing projects, or recent findings. This keeps your followers informed and engaged. |
| Utilize platform status updates: | Utilize the platform's status update feature to share short updates or announcements. |
| Request and Provide Recommendations: | Request recommendations from colleagues or collaborators to enhance the credibility of your profile. Consider providing recommendations for researchers you've worked with, fostering a positive and collaborative academic community. |
| Link to Other Professional Profiles: | Include links to your other professional profiles, such as LinkedIn or ResearchGate, to provide a more comprehensive view of your academic presence. |
A LinkedIn profile is an online professional profile created on the LinkedIn social networking platform. LinkedIn is primarily designed for professionals and business-oriented networking, providing a space for individuals to showcase their work experience, skills, education, and professional achievements. However, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for researchers to increase visibility, network with peers, and showcase their publications. Here are several strategies for academics to use LinkedIn effectively.
| SUGGESTION | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| Optimize Your Profile: | Create a comprehensive and professional profile with a clear profile picture, detailed work experience, education, and a well-written summary and use relevant keywords related to your research interests and expertise to make your profile more discoverable. |
| Highlight Publications: | Use the "Publications" section on your LinkedIn profile to showcase your research papers, articles, books, or any other publications. Include details such as title, co-authors, and publication date and attach links to the full text, DOI, or external repositories to make it easy for others to access your publications. Remember to make sure that the full-text of your publication is copyright cleared before you upload it. You can make use of Sherpa Romeo to check a journal's copyright policy. |
| Engage in Academic Groups: | Join LinkedIn groups relevant to your field of study or research interests. Participate in discussions, share insights, and connect with other academics in your discipline to increases your visibility within academic communities and provides opportunities for collaboration. |
| Share Updates and Achievements: | Regularly share updates about your research, publications, conference presentations, and any other academic achievements. This keeps your network informed about your work. Use the LinkedIn status update feature to share short updates or insights related to your field. |
| Connect with Peers and Colleagues: | Connect with other academics, researchers, and professionals in your field. Building a robust network increases the visibility of your profile and publications. Personalize connection requests with a brief note explaining your common interests or reasons for connecting. |
| Endorsements and Recommendations: | Request endorsements for your skills and expertise from colleagues. This adds credibility to your profile. Seek recommendations from collaborators, mentors, or supervisors. Positive recommendations provide valuable insights into your work and character. |
| Utilize the "Projects" Section: | If you've been involved in research projects, use the "Projects" section to highlight and describe these collaborations. Include project details, outcomes, and collaborators. |
| Participate in LinkedIn Articles: | Write and publish articles on LinkedIn. This could include summaries of your research findings, discussions on industry trends, or insights into your field. Articles are a great way to showcase your expertise and increase your visibility among your connections. |
| Promote Conference Participation: | If you've presented at conferences, share information about your presentations. Include details such as conference names, dates, and topics discussed. |
| Stay Active and Engaged: | Regularly log in to LinkedIn, like and comment on posts from your connections, and share relevant content. Active participation enhances your visibility in your network's feed. |