This document provides guidance on promoting research online. It discusses planning objectives and audience, choosing tools like websites, blogs, social media, citation tools and data sharing sites. Success should be measurable. The document recommends writing concisely for the web, using sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to network and share work, and experimenting to find the best methods before concluding.

1. Promoting your research on the web
Jez Cope, ICT Project Manager
Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies
University of Bath
Bath Course 2012
Section D: Research Management

2. Planning Tools Conclusions
Outline
1 Planning
Aims & objectives
Audience
Measuring success
Caveats
2 Tools
Websites and blogs
Social networking
Microblogging
Citation & bookmarking
Presentation & document sharing
Data sharing
3 Conclusions

3. Planning Tools Conclusions
Planning your approach
• What do you want to achieve?
• Who will you need to reach?
• What will success look like?

4. Planning Tools Conclusions
What do you want to achieve?

5. Planning Tools Conclusions
What do you want to achieve?
• Attract collaborators;
• Attract funding (private/public);
• Attract PhD students;
• Get more citations to your papers/sales for your books;
• Debate & share ideas with peers;
• Influence policy;
• Knowledge transfer;
• Engage with the public;
• Reflect & log progress;
• …

6. Planning Tools Conclusions
Who is your audience?

7. Planning Tools Conclusions
Who is your audience?
• Fellow specialists in your field;
• Other researchers;
• Undergraduates;
• Industry representatives;
• Politicians;
• General public;
• …

8. Planning Tools Conclusions
What will success look like?
• Can be quantitative or qualitative;
• But should be measurable: think SMART;

9. Planning Tools Conclusions
What will success look like?
• Can be quantitative or qualitative;
• But should be measurable: think SMART;
• For example:
• More visitors to your website;
• More citations to your work;
• More invitations to speak;
• More contact with industry;
• …

10. Planning Tools Conclusions
Caveats
• Protect your “brand”;
• Protect your intellectual property;
• Don’t infringe copyright.

11. Planning Tools Conclusions
Writing for the web
• Make it “scannable”:
• Use concise language;
• Use bullet points and headings as signposts;
• Highlight key words;
• Use the “inverted pyramid”:
• Start with the conclusion;
• Gradually expand in more detail.
• Make it suit the content and the audience;
• Notice what you find makes web pages easy to read.

12. Planning Tools Conclusions
Websites and blogs
Static web pages Blogs
people.bath.ac.uk wordpress.com, blogs.bath.ac.uk
• Simple to get started • Easy to use;
• H:public_html • Edit from anywhere
• Requirements: • Requirements:
• Know HTML; or • An account (free);
• Use a HTML editor. • A web browser.

13. Planning Tools Conclusions
Social networking
LinkedIn linkedin.com
Academia.edu academia.edu
Graduate Junction graduatejunction.net
• Useful networking tools;
• Especially good for “who knows whom”;
• Make contacts before conferences…
• …or build on contacts made at conferences;

14. Planning Tools Conclusions
Microblogging
Twitter twitter.com
Google+ plus.google.com
Yammer yammer.com
• Short status updates;
• Starting discussions, sharing/discovering resources;
• “Backchannel” for conferences & meetings;
• Follow people you find interesting;
• Share useful stuff:
• Articles you’ve read/published;
• Websites you’ve found;
• Tools you use;
• Conferences you attend.

15. Planning Tools Conclusions
Citation & bookmarking
Diigo diigo.com
citeulike citeulike.org
Mendeley mendeley.com
Zotero zotero.org
• See what others are reading;
• Shared bibliography;
• Project;
• Research group;
• Wider interest group;

16. Planning Tools Conclusions
Presentation & document sharing
SlideShare slideshare.com
Scribd scribd.com
• Publish and share presentations & documents;
• Web-based viewers (no download required);
• Embed in your own web page/blog.

17. Planning Tools Conclusions
Data sharing
figshare figshare.com
LabArchives labarchives.com/bmc Free for BMC authors
• Pre- or post-publication?
• Be very careful about IP;
• Bath Data Archive in the pipeline:
• blogs.bath.ac.uk/research360
• More info:
• research-data@bath.ac.uk
• go.bath.ac.uk/research-data

18. Planning Tools Conclusions
Conclusions
• Plan first;
• Choose the right tools;
• Experiment;
• Google for advice (no, really!);
• Do what works for you.

19. Planning Tools Conclusions
That’s all folks
Email j.cope@bath.ac.uk
Blog erambler.co.uk
Google+ Jez Cope
Any questions? Twitter jezcope (also csctbath)
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/jezcope
Diigo diigo.com/user/jezcope
SlideShare slideshare.net/jezcope
Scribd scribd.com/jez_cope