So, your article has been published in an academic journal? Is it the end? No, definitely, this is not the end. It is the beginning of the journey of the peace of academic or research work you created. However, regretfully, most researchers do not pay much attention to their article once it has been published – as if publication was the ultimate aim.

However, the ultimate aim of any research article is to spread and share knowledge.

But regretfully, most authors are doing almost nothing to spread the knowledge and share their work with others. Of course, getting published is also sharing. Journals do a lot to ensure that knowledge spreads. However, authors also need to make some efforts to spread or share their work.

Authors should continue to engage with their research articles after publishing to maximize the impact of their work. Engaging with the audience through social media, conferences, and collaborations can increase the visibility of the research and lead to valuable feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Actively promoting the research can also enhance the chances of it being cited by other researchers, thereby increasing the author’s professional reputation. Staying engaged allows authors to promptly address any errors or updates, ensuring the accuracy of their findings. Continued engagement with research articles can lead to new opportunities for collaboration, funding, and professional development.

The article life cycle after publishing refers to the stages and processes that an article typically goes through from the moment it is published to its eventual decline in visibility and impact. This includes initial promotion and dissemination, accumulating immediate and long-term impact, ongoing engagement with readers and scholars, and eventual archiving.

The life cycle underscores the importance of continued author engagement with their work to maximize its reach, impact, and longevity. The life cycle of an article after publishing can vary depending on various factors, such as the platform it’s published on, the topic, and the audience.

Initial Promotion

Initial promotion is important to ensure that the work reaches its intended audience and gains visibility within the academic community. This process typically involves a combination of strategies to disseminate the article and attract attention to its findings. Firstly, authors can share links to their articles on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and academic networking sites like ResearchGate or Academia.edu. This helps to reach a broader audience and encourages engagement and discussion. Also, authors can send out newsletters to colleagues, collaborators, and mailing lists relevant to the research topic. Uploading the article to institutional repositories or subject-specific repositories can increase its visibility and accessibility to researchers in the field. Presenting the research at conferences or seminars can help to promote the article and engage with other researchers interested in the topic.

• Share it on social platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
• Share on platforms like ResearchGate and Acacemia.edu
• Submit to various open repositories

Immediate Impact

The immediate impact of a research article after publishing refers to the initial reception and influence the article has within the academic community and beyond. This impact can be measured through various indicators, such as citations, downloads, media coverage, and social media mentions. The number of times the article is cited by other researchers shortly after publication is a key indicator of its immediate impact and influence in the field. The number of times the article is downloaded or viewed online can indicate the level of interest and engagement with the research findings. Altmetrics tracks the online attention and engagement with the article, including mentions in news articles, blogs, and social media platforms. This can provide a broader measure of the immediate impact beyond traditional citations. The relevance and novelty of the research findings can also influence its immediate impact, as groundbreaking or timely research is more likely to attract attention and citations.

• Keep visiting the journal’s website to see how many times the article was downloaded.
• Check out Google Scholar to learn more about the impact of your research. – All articles published by EIKI are indexed in Google Scholar.
• See other metrics shown on the journal’s website.

Search Engine Indexing

It refers to the process by which search engines discover, analyze, and include the article in their search results. Search engine bots continuously browse the web to discover new content. When a research article is published online, these bots eventually find and crawl the page where the article is hosted. Once the search engine accesses the article page, it analyzes the content, including the text, images, and metadata. This analysis helps us understand the article’s topic, relevance, and context. Then, the search engine adds the article to its index, which is essentially a massive database it has analyzed. This index is used to generate search results when users enter relevant queries. Once indexed, the research article becomes visible on search engine results pages when users search for related keywords or topics. The visibility of the article can drive traffic to the article and increase its impact and reach.

Long-Tail Traffic

Long-tail traffic is associated with the ongoing, sustained flow of visitors to the article over an extended period, often driven by the discovery of the article through specific, niche, or less competitive search terms known as “long-tail keywords.” Over time, as search engines index the article, it may attract traffic from users searching for more specific, detailed, or less common keywords related to the research topic. These long-tail keywords are often less competitive but can collectively contribute to a significant amount of traffic.

Evergreen Content

Evergreen content remains relevant and valuable to readers over an extended period, often long after its initial publication. For example, articles that explain fundamental concepts, theories, or principles in a field that are unlikely to change significantly over time. Also, papers that detail research methodologies, experimental techniques, or data analysis methods that are widely applicable and not likely to become outdated quickly. Review articles that summarize and analyze existing literature on a topic can be evergreen if they provide a comprehensive, relevant overview even as new research is published. Articles that discuss theoretical frameworks or report foundational research findings serve as a basis for further research and development in a field.

Decline in Traffic

The decline in traffic means a gradual decrease in the number of visitors or views the article receives over time. Search engines often prioritize fresh content, so newer articles on similar topics may start to outrank the older articles in search results. As more articles are published on the same topic, the competition for visibility increases, making it harder for the older article to maintain its position in search results. One should remember that research interests in the field may change, leading to decreased interest in older articles that do not reflect current research priorities. Also, readers who are interested in the topic may have already come across the article, resulting in a decrease in new traffic.

Archiving

Many universities and research institutions have institutional repositories where researchers can deposit their articles for long-term preservation and access. These repositories ensure that the articles remain accessible even if the original publication is no longer available. There are also subject-specific repositories, such as PubMed Central for biomedical research, where researchers can deposit their articles for broader visibility and access within their field. Publishers often maintain archives of their published articles, ensuring that they remain accessible through their websites or through indexing services.

• At EIKI, all articles are submitted to multiple archives to ensure that your research is accessible infinitely. Thus, all research articles are archived using the PKP Preservation Network, Various open repositories, the British Library, and many more.

Repurposing

Repurposing a research article after publishing concerns adapting or reusing the paper’s content for other purposes or formats. This can help extend the reach and impact of the research beyond its original publication. Condensing the key findings of the research article into a summary or infographic can make the information more accessible and engaging to a broader audience. Using the research findings as the basis for developing educational materials, such as lectures, workshops, or online courses, can help disseminate the information to students and professionals in the field. Authors can use the research findings as the basis for writing review articles or book chapters, which can provide a more comprehensive overview of the topic and its implications. Repurposing the content to make it more accessible or relevant to different audiences, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public, can help broaden the impact of the research.

At the same time, it’s important to note that not all articles follow this exact life cycle, and the trajectory can vary based on factors such as the author’s efforts, the journal’s promotional strategies, and the nature of the content.