It is always great news when your paper is accepted for publication, but how can you ensure that people are actually going to find your article? The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering (Can. J. Chem. Eng.) wants to help its authors and all CIC members promote their research effectively.
Most people actually find articles from a simple online search, so here are 7 tips on search engine optimization (SEO) to help your research reach its audience:
- Test your keywords with Google to see what kinds of hits come up; the first few might be completely unrelated to your field. Try new keywords until you find the right fit. You want to make it as easy as possible to find your work from a simple keyword search.
- Avoid acronyms and abbreviations in your keywords and title.
- Use the keywords in your title and abstract, as well as throughout the paper (but only where it actually makes sense to use them).
- Use a search engine or indexing service to try out different keyword or title terms that might have more than one variant in your field. Choose the one that gets the most hits related to your discipline.
- Keep the title to 15 words or fewer and place the main concept at the beginning. With strong keywords, title, and abstract, Google should pull up your paper in a search, but remember that the person doing the searching will only see the first 55 characters or so of your title.
- Write a strong abstract that articulates the vital parts of your research findings in clear language.
- Get in touch with us on Twitter @CanJChemEng for other ideas about getting your research read and check out the Can. J. Chem. Eng. website.
For more tips on SEO to promote your published research, take a look at Mia Ricci’s “Maximizing the impact for your published work” workshop slides from the 67th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference.