Open and Responsible Research Guide: Researcher visibility and researcher profiles

Researcher profiles are a central part of a researcher’s online visibility. A well-maintained profile improves the discoverability of research, supports networking, and strengthens the recognition of expertise both nationally and internationally. Researchers are encouraged to use profiles and identifiers in a variety of contexts: in manuscripts, peer review activities, websites, blogs, email signatures, and CVs.

See the Researcher Profiles page of the guide for recommendations on which profiles to maintain and monitor.

Open access is a key method for increasing the visibility and impact of research publications. When publications are freely available, they reach a broader audience—including researchers, students, and practitioners. Openness not only enhances visibility but also promotes the impact, reliability, and societal usability of research.

There are many ways to publish openly. You can read more on the guide’s Open Access Publishing page.

The visibility of a scientific article is always enhanced when the journal in which it is published is indexed in widely used databases—especially the citation databases Scopus and Web of Science. These databases have large user bases, which means the article is potentially discoverable by a broad research audience.

Web of Science and Scopus also track citation data for the publications they index. As a result, citations received by articles published in indexed journals are visible in these databases. Through these citations, information about the research spreads further, increasing the researcher’s visibility within the academic community.

Read more about this topic in the guide’s section on Choosing a publication channel.

Even if a publication is included in major citation databases, that alone is not enough. The article must also be titled thoughtfully and the abstract written with care—keeping in mind the perspective of other researchers working on similar topics who may be searching for related content.

A compelling title invites readers to explore the abstract, and a well-crafted abstract encourages them to read the full publication.

• Title: When creating a title, consider the information seeker’s perspective. Use descriptive, topic-relevant terms—avoid vague or overly creative phrasing.
• Abstract: Start by writing the abstract. Since it serves as a miniature version of the article, beginning with it helps clarify and focus your message.
• Improving Discoverability: Use synonyms and related terms to increase the chances of your publication being found in databases. In search queries, the Title and Abstract fields are typically the most important for relevance ranking—and often the only freely accessible fields in many databases.

Research visibility can be enhanced by publishing the data on which the research findings are based. If the data cannot be shared with others, it is still possible to publish descriptive metadata about the dataset. To ensure visibility, a persistent identifier—such as a DOI—should be obtained for the data or its metadata and included in the publication’s Data Availability Statement. Using persistent identifiers also enables the dataset to be cited.

For more information, see the guide’s section on Research Data.

Leveraging social media and professional networking services is an effective way to increase the visibility of research publications. When researchers actively share their work across different channels, it reaches a broader audience and can spark discussions beyond their own discipline.

Sharing publications on platforms such as X, Bluesky, or LinkedIn can attract new readers and enhance the impact of the research. A short summary, a visual highlight, or a link to an openly accessible publication works well.

Maintaining researcher profiles on services like ORCID, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar helps connect publications to the researcher’s identity and improves their discoverability. These profiles also serve as a professional calling card, showcasing the researcher’s expertise and output.
Read more about researcher profiles.

Engaging in online discussions and networking can lead to new collaboration opportunities and increase citations. Active presence supports not only the visibility of publications but also the researcher’s professional profile and the broader impact of their research.
Read more about researcher profiles on networking platforms.

Altmetrics offer researchers a way to examine the visibility and impact of their research beyond the academic sphere. They measure how often and in what contexts publications are mentioned in social media, news articles, blogs, policy documents, or Wikipedia entries.
Read more about altmetrics.