Once an article is published, it’s tempting to pat yourself on the back, accept colleagues’ accolades, and move on to the next project. But before you do, take time to promote your work so that it reaches the widest possible audience.
Self-promotion doesn’t always come easily to nurses, yet it’s essential for increasing your article’s impact. Nurse clinicians, researchers, and educators are bombarded with information daily—even hourly—and must quickly decide which items deserve their attention. The following strategies can help ensure your article is more than a blip on their radar; it’s something nurses want to home in on.
Define your message
Identifying the most important one or two points of your article will help you to develop your dissemination tools. For example, messages for an article on teens and cyber bullying might relate to detection and raising awareness.
Once you determine your message(s), you’re ready to explore your options. A good place to start is with the journal that published your article. Many now offer suggestions for promoting your work and provide opportunities such as the ability to add a short video.
Create a video
Videos increase the likelihood that readers will seek out your work. You can create a short video for posting with your article (depending on the journal) and on social media. Creating a video is easy in the cell phone era, but for optimal effectiveness, follow these tips:
- Have a neutral background, but not a plain wall. Have good lighting, but don’t stand in front of a window.
- Keep it short (recommendations vary, but 2 to 5 minutes is a general range).
- As you present your key points, speak naturally and show enthusiasm. Don’t read from a script.
I’ll have more about video abstracts in a future blog.
Post on social media
Post information about your article on each of your social media accounts. Keep the entries short and provide a link to your article on the journal’s website. Even if the full text of the article isn’t available to non-subscribers, many contacts will be able to access the article through databases at work or school.
LinkedIn is usually the best option because the platform is more business oriented. Be sure your LinkedIn profile includes a professional photo of yourself, which makes it more likely others will pay attention to what you post.
For any social media option, consider including an image (photo or figure from your article) when you post. For example, you may post part of the algorithm you developed for working with patients who will be starting chemotherapy as part of your X entry to entice users to access the article for the full algorithm.
Create an infographic
Infographics are a great way to draw potential readers’ attention to your work. For instance, a graphical abstract that provides a visual summary of your work can highlight key points and be posted on social media.
Write a plain language summary
This type of summary makes it easier for others to understand the content of the article. Although the focus is often on the general public, a plain language summary can be helpful for healthcare professionals, especially when your topic is complex or when some readers may have less experience with the concepts discussed in your article.
Leverage your contacts
Share information about your publication with your employer, the nursing school you graduated from, and professional associations; many of these contacts will publish the information in their newsletters or online. In addition, some employers will work with you to create a press release about your work.
Consider joining a scholarly collaboration network such as ResearchGate, Mendeley, or Adcademia.edu. The engagement provided by such a network can not only help disseminate your work but also provide opportunities for professional collaborations.
Make it easy
Make it easy for others to find your article by choosing keywords (when you submit your article and when creating social media posts) that match the content of your work. Also, if you haven’t done so, register in Open Research and Contributor ID (ORCID) to obtain a unique identification number that keeps your work associated with you, even if you change your name during your career. ORCID also facilitates sharing your work with other researchers.
One important note: Making it easy doesn’t necessarily include uploading a PDF of your complete article to a public platform. Check your author agreement as to who owns the copyright and what type of sharing is permitted.
Track results
Track your article’s dissemination to assess the effectiveness of your efforts. One option is to create a Google Alert for your name or key aspect of the article. You’ll then receive an automatic email when there’s a match with the search term you entered. You can set the notification timing—as it occurs, daily, or weekly, depending on your preference. You can also create a profile in Google Scholar, which allows for citation tracking.
Article metrics not only address citations and downloads, but also provide information about how your article is being discussed and shared on platforms such as blogs and social media. Many journals now have dashboards that provide these metrics.
Achieving dissemination success
You worked hard to write your article and feel passionate about the messages it contains. By using some of the techniques presented here, you can ensure those messages are delivered and “heard” by others.
Cynthia Saver, MS, RN, is editor of the award-winning book Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses, 5thed. She has more than three decades of publishing experience as a writer, editor, and publishing executive. Cynthia’s work has appeared in many journals, and her past positions include editorial director for American Nurse Journal, which she helped launch. Cynthia is passionate about helping nurses share their expertise by writing for publication and happily shares her knowledge though The Writing Mind blog, articles, short presentations, and workshops.
References
Article promotion and impact. Wiley. n.d. https://authors.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/Promotion/index.html
BMJ Author. Hub. Video abstracts. n.d. https://authors.bmj.com/writing-and-formatting/video-abstracts/what-is-a-video-abstract/
Landers T, Schulte SJ. Promoting your work. In: Saver C. Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses, 5th ed.Indianapolis: Sigma Theta Tau International; 2024. 171-183.
Lippincott. How can you promote your research? n.d. https://journals.lww.com/authorservices/Pages/promotingyourresearch.aspx
