Ensuring discoverability of your work
When selecting a journal, consider whether your target audience can find your work. Methods for ensuring a journal’s discoverability include:
- Checking whether it is indexed (included) in academic databases including both discipline-specific and large citation databases. Check its status in Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory and in Scopus and Web of Science
- Making your work available via an Open Access publication, meaning that it would be freely available to increase the potential readership
For online based publications, particularly open access, a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) can assist with the discoverability of your work. Some other benefits of a publication having a DOI are:
- a unique identifier for your publication
- long term access to your publication
- accurate citations and metrics analysis
Obtain a DOI using Figshare
RMIT now offers all researchers and students institutional access to the data repository Figshare, free of charge.
A quick and easy to use public-facing storage solution, Figshare provides researchers with the opportunity to promote datasets, grey literature, and other non-traditional research outputs. It tracks citations, views and downloads of each of your uploads, and allows the user to mint DOIs for individual uploads or for larger collections. Figshare can also be connected to your ORCID iD, with each Figshare upload reflected in your ORCID profile.
For any queries about Figshare please contact research.data@rmit.edu.au.
Activity
Viewing information on a journal’s website can tell you which databases index it. For this activity:
- Search the Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory for a journal title you have identified as relevant to your research
- Look for information about which databases include (index) the journal
Journal websites will often include other useful and important information such as the journal aims, scope, editorial board and types of articles they publish.
