Why Academic Research Will Be Read and Cited

Why Academic Research Will Be Read and Cited
Today’s scientists are well aware that citations count. Publishing articles that are well or highly cited can contribute to an author earning desirable positions and promotions, attracting the best students and coauthors, attaining necessary funding and equipment, and acquiring scientific respect and prestige. One of the most effective means of achieving citation success is through the publication of excellent scholarship that is truly significant, but there are several aspects of scientific research to be considered when determining its significance.

For one, the size of the probable or potential audience is important. The larger the number of scientific colleagues (and in some cases more general readers) interested in your topic, your research question(s), your methodology and your results, the greater the chances of your article being cited frequently. Context and timing will be central, of course, as some areas of study attract more scientists than others, and this can change with trends through time. Primarily, however, reader interest will depend on the fundamental significance of the research presented in a paper. Generally speaking, the enormous and expansive questions of science cannot be explored within the confines of a short journal article, but the specific question or problem addressed in a single paper can and ideally should be as relevant as possible to one or more of the fundamental questions in a subject area. This, too, is dependent on context, with the questions and theories used to explore, analyse and explain topics and problems changing as knowledge develops, so if you can present your research in a way that uses, tests or discusses a recently introduced or hotly debated theory, for instance, it will almost certainly increase the significance of your article. Novelty can also play a part in significance, so innovative methods and unexpected results can prove highly citable provided they are sound. Finally, the degree to which your research is useful or necessary to the successful pursuit of further significant research in your subject area is also a key factor in how often your article will be cited by other scientists.

Ensuring that your research and any publications based on it are as significant as possible in as many ways as possible can certainly increase the citations you earn, but only if potential readers actually read your writing. They are far more likely to do so if they are aware of the significance of your research, so it is essential that the qualities determining significance are mentioned in the parts of an article that are immediately visible to readers and search engines alike. The title and abstract therefore present excellent opportunities to engage readers by using the terminology and descriptions necessary to highlight the significance of your research.