Enhancing the global reach of medical research

A study can be rigorous, important and well written and still be read by only a handful of people. Reach is not an accident: it depends on where and how the work is published and on what the authors do after publication.

Remove the paywall

The single biggest barrier to reach is access. Open-access articles can be read by clinicians, policymakers, journalists and patients, not only by readers at institutions with subscriptions. If your journal is not open access, check whether you can share an accepted manuscript in a repository.

Be findable

Readers find research through databases and search engines. That depends on accurate metadata, a DOI, a clear title with the terms people actually search for, and an abstract that states the main finding. Publishing in a journal that is properly indexed matters as much as the quality of the paper.

Write for more than one audience

A plain-language summary helps readers outside your specialty, and a short visual abstract travels well on social media. Many of the people who could use your findings are not researchers.

Cross language barriers

English dominates medical publishing, but much of the world practises medicine in other languages. Translated abstracts and summaries in Spanish, Arabic or other languages can bring research to communities that would otherwise never see it.

Keep talking about the work

• Present the findings at conferences and webinars.
• Share the article with networks and professional societies in your field.
• Keep your research profiles up to date so others can follow your work.
• Respond to comments and questions from readers.

Global reach is built step by step. Our author support team helps researchers with each of these steps, from choosing an open-access journal to promoting the published article.