Since the beginning of written scholarly ideas, the traditional format was that of a single author. But over time, studies have shown that working collaboratively with others on the same topic has wide-reaching benefits beyond those possible from any individual researcher’s capabilities.

With modern technology evolving to allow for easier access to publishing mediums like e-journals and blogs, the advantages of multi-authored publications are even greater. The more authors a submission has, the wider the audience it can reach, and the stronger research impact it is possible to have if the work is performed and published strategically.

The Benefits of Multi-Authored Work

There are legitimate reasons to express the expectation that single-authored work should be more valuable and count towards a scholar’s reputation than multi-authored research would, but the trend has been the opposite direction over the past decade. More and more researchers are turning to collaborative work as a means of meeting their expected publishing criteria.

Multi-authored work does have significant advantages over its single-tiered counterparts, such as:

●      More researchers correlate to a higher chance of being accepted through grants as a source of funding for the work

●      Increased visibility is possible when multiple authors work together to share recognition and get their work to a wider audience

●      The demands of research continue to rise, with some expectations of high-print, high-quality, and high-production almost impossible to do while still keeping a balance between work and personal lives

●      Collaborating through cross-institution increases the researcher’s access to different resources and instruments

●      More perspectives and skill sets make up for weaknesses in an individual’s ability, and bringing in multiple specializations gives a more complete picture of the research, allowing for deeper analysis and understanding of the concept

●      Networking and professionalism are part of a scholar’s overall reputation; collaborative work ensures the scholar meets this criterion

●      Interdisciplinary ideas not only enhance the research process and outcome but also allow the individuals to benefit from the knowledge each other brings to the table 

With so many benefits to working collaboratively, it’s not surprising that many researchers are turning to multi-authored blogs to increase their impact.

Using Blogs to Generate Maximum Impact

Blogs may have begun as a way to communicate with personal expression, but they are increasingly becoming a means of disseminating information to an audience in scholarly fields.

They’re a valuable medium that is only beginning to be explored as legitimate methods of garnering information from a scientific perspective. Blogs contribute to knowledge throughout a framework of different processes.

Because of the casual conversational tone inherent with blogging, this medium automatically attracts a wider audience than a scholarly journal could attain. It’s also easier to optimize a blog for relevancy and search engine formatting than a research article, using internal and external links to boost visits to the article.

All of these factors serve to increase the bibliometrics that are so important when it comes to generating a scholarly rating. With multiple authors on the blog, these findings increase even more.

When this is done strategically, the research impact can be long-term.

Tips to Increase Research Impact in Your Multi-Authored Blog

Blogs may be casual in the voice they impart, but there’s nothing informal about how they should be prepared. When you follow certain strategies to impart your multi-authored work to the wide audience you intend to reach, your chances of making the maximum impact possible increases.

As you put together your scientific blog, keep these tips in mind:

●      Plan ahead long before you’re ready to launch your blog. Make sure all authors agree on the reason for the blog, the topics to cover, the name for the site, any competition that you may have, and the overall themes the research scope should include, as well as a projected launch date.

●      Work together to develop a social media strategy to promote your blog. Create the basic blog pages as a sort of “Under Construction” method of enticing readers and generating interest.

●      Begin introducing the blog before the articles are ready to be published. You may contact your stakeholders and other researchers to let them know your blog is being launched and discuss the possibility of cross-promotion through internal and external linking.

●      Create and schedule content to be published once the blog is launched at least two weeks before the date. Make sure these articles are edited and optimized with keywords, search engine specifics, and linking.

●      Once the blog goes live on the launch date, continue to promote it through press releases, social media coverage, and linking it to your academic profiles.

Following this order will garner you the widest impact possible, especially if all authors are on board and completing the process.

Using Impactio to Get Your Blog Noticed

Impactio is an all-in-one platform that researchers can use to compile their work into professional documents, but it can also be used to put together your blog and get it recognized. With Impactio, the scholarly templates and layouts are already prepared so you can turn your citation data into tables, charts, and graphs easily and insert your text into optimized sections.

Once you’ve finished, your work can be saved as a PDF document or web page for a seamless transition to your blog. Then link your site to your academic profile and share it with other experts who are part of the community of scholars on the Impactio network!