Kudos to authors who boost discoverability

Cambridge is aware of the common problems that face readers and authors in today’s online reading environment, which is why we work hard to offer new ways for authors to disseminate their research, and for readers to discover it.

Discoverability remains a pressing commitment for Cambridge University Press, which is why we’ve partnered with the following three initiatives, tackling common issues that academics face head on.

How to find the needle in a haystack of information

With over 1 million articles published every year, making just one paper stand out can seem like a daunting prospect. For an author, this poses the question of being found. How do you get your voice heard? How can you make sure your article reaches the right people? How can you know who’s reading it and what they’re saying about it?

These were all questions that sparked Melinda Kenneway, Charlie Rapple and David Sommer to create Kudos, a free service for authors designed to help their content stand out and get found. Kudos works by allowing authors to create profiles, which will build their online presence. Here, they can add context to their articles, such as summaries and impact statements, or multimedia and additional links.

This is then complimented by altmetrics – powered by Altmetric.com, which was introduced to Cambridge Journals Online (CJO) in January 2013 – which allows authors to see the reach and impact of their published research, detailing where it has been shared online, what people are saying about it, and who these readers are.

Read more about altmetrics here.

Kudos benefits the author by providing them with a comprehensive tool to boost the reach of their article. Partnering with Kudos during its pilot phase means that selected authors publishing their articles on Cambridge Journals Online will soon be able to benefit from the Kudos service when it launches in April.

And for the reader? A free service for readers, the extra context that the author adds on Kudos ensures that not only are you more likely to find the article that you need, but that when you do, it’ll be enhanced with valuable supplementary material.

For more information about Kudos, visit their website.

How to find (and preserve) useful data

While finding relevant journal content is a key concern for all academics, it’s also crucial that vital research data is preserved in a safe, fully accessible and future-proof environment. The Dryad Digital Repository is “a curated resource that makes the data underlying scientific publications discoverable, freely reusable, and citable.” Dryad is an independent organisation, ensuring that all data stored will benefit from longevity and security, regardless of where it was originally published.

As a member of the Dryad scheme, Cambridge can now offer our authors the option to store their data in this reliable repository, make it secure, and visible to the entire academic community.

You can learn more about Dryad and their service on their website.

How to find reference material within the sea of research online

Accessing reference works is a key starting point for research, especially for early-career researchers. But when there’s a wealth of varied specialist information available online it can be hard to know where to start.

Reference Universe tackles this issue by creating a comprehensive starting point, geared exclusively towards reference material. From here, readers can search for content from within over 45,000 electronic and print encyclopaedia, bringing the finest introductory content straight into their hands.

With hundreds of high-quality reference works available via Cambridge Books Online (CBO), discoverability of this content is key. Partnering with Paratext and supplying CBO data via Reference Universe will ensure optimum visibility for nearly 400 quality reference titles, and allow for scholars of all stages in their research careers to access valuable reference material.

For more information about Reference Universe, click here.