Citation-boosting! Tips and tricks to maximize the number of times other people will read and cite your published work
We don't write academic papers to stick them on the wall, or give them to our parents as Christmas presents. We write academic papers so that they will be read, cited, and used by others ....
We write papers and submit them for publication in peer-reviewed journals as academic researchers in order to (i) advance the state of knowledge in our field and (ii) enhance our own careers. Be honest: Which of these two motivations is most important for you? Want to write a highly cited paper?
These two reasons are the fundamental motivations for publishing academic research: We want colleagues to both read and cite our work in their own papers in the future. There is no point writing a research paper and publishing it in a leading international journal if no-one reads it, downloads it, or cites it. Maximizing our publication citations is key to reputation, career, and standing in the field.
Why is it important to boost and maximize the citations of your work?
We want to see our published work cited by other authors for four main reasons: (i) to enhance visibility; (ii) to demonstrate that research has utility; (iii) to enhance our careers (boost the h-index), and; (iv) to make a lasting contribution to the field.
Academic research should, fundamentally, contribute to discourse, to conversations and discussions in your field. To do this, it’s important to be read and cited. Why would you publish if nobody cites your work? No-one is working, doing research, and writing it up just for the joy of seeing it come out in a leading journal. Readership is key.
A citation index number, knowing your work is being read by others, is important for career success. As we all know, citation numbers are used for promotion appraisals, tenure and grant applications, and as a way to argue that your research has ‘academic impact’. Learning and knowing about who in your field is reading and citing your work is also important if we are to understand who is building on our work, using our research results and outcomes in their own work. This is another way to measure your impact: ‘my paper from 2018 was then used subsequently by x and y authors in their studies published in x and y journals’. Tracking the citation history of your research can also lead to new ideas: Perhaps another colleague, even from another field, is using your work in a way you did not expect or anticipate. Citations of your work will also occur at a much higher rate than you will publish new articles yourself and so are a good way to maintain academic confidence, an ‘ego boost’ in other words. It’s always nice to know that someone else has discovered, read, and found your work important enough to use it and cite it as the basis for one of their own studies.
Keep in mind that funding agencies, universities, and governments are increasingly asking us, academic researchers, to demonstrate the ‘impact’ of our work. This is especially the case when work is funded by a government agency, for example. How can you show that your work is ‘having an impact?’. This is very hard to do if you are not prepared from the start of a research project, it’s very conception: Research impact is a journey that starts with the beginning of a project. What difference is your work making to others? ‘Others’ in this context can be anyone: Other researchers or members of the wider community. Obviously, one key way to measure and demonstrate the academic impact of your research is via citations.
How can you ensure that people cite your research papers?
Here are some tips and tricks to have a think about when you write that will increase the number of times other researchers cite your papers.
Write in certain ways; cite the papers of others comprehensively and carefully in your own publications, especially productive colleagues working in your area and who are likely to cite you back. Citing historical literature in your field is important, of course, and every paper needs that context – why is this question interesting? - but you should also keep your reference list as up-to-date as possible, citing other key papers that are themselves highly used across your field.
It’s important to take time over the ‘keywords’ that you include in your articles. Most people do not put much time into this, but the keywords you use are key to discoverability. Based on the topic of your research, identify two to five keywords you can use. Start with keywords and phrases that a typical user will search for in your area. You can also use tools to help you identify the right keywords for your content. If you unsure which key words to use, check out the popular papers in your area of research, for reference. Using the most popular keyword may not always be best for your article. A lot of articles out there might use the same popular keyword, thereby reducing impact. A less popular but more appropriate and relevant keyword might get you more search hits and views.
Collaborate, circulate, and promote your work. Studies have shown that highly cited academic papers tend to have at least five authors. Writing and publishing with collaborators is a natural part of academia and your career development, but it’s also important to keep in mind that when you write and publish with others you bring their networks to bear on the finished product. If you write a paper alone then it is likely to just be read and cited by others in your academic network but if you publish with four other colleagues then four times as many people will likely access the work (potentially). Send copies of your publications out to other key people in your field internationally as well: Take advantage of the contacts and colleagues you meet at conferences, online, and via the publication process (perhaps through editorial work or peer-review).
A good personal or research group website is a must. You can put preprints of your papers online and provide an up-to-date list of publications as well as provide a write-up of your research programs. Having a good online presence ensures that your papers are found easily if someone searches for a topic relating to your research. You need a content rich website to achieve this and you can’t build this up in just a few years, so start early in your career if possible.
You can also actively promote your article by writing about it, perhaps on a blog post or other social media to increase citation count. This approach can also help a wider audience understand your research better and thus increasing the chances that others will use and cite your papers. Why not write a guest post about your research on a blog with a bigger audience as this will contribute to citations as well as your article search engine optimization. This approach to promotion also helps in spreading your work to areas and audiences which you might not anticipate would be interested in your research.
Don’t sit back and be a ‘typical’ academic
Many academics tend to feel that doing research and then writing up papers and getting them published is enough. If people are interested in reading and citing their work then they will find it and use it. These days, however, more is needed, much more: Attention spans are so short and engagement with published work so fleeting that it’s necessary to put your results and publications in front of people. Promote your work, push your publications forward and you have the opportunity to significantly enhance your career.
Self-promotion, circulation, and networking are the keys to boosting citations. Be proactive.