Are you looking for ways to increase the impact and visibility of an upcoming publication? Would you like to use social media to get the word out, but aren’t sure how to do so effectively? One option is to include a ‘Tweetable Abstract’ in your paper’s abstract when you submit it for publication. In today’s world, Twitter can be a fantastic tool to help promote your research. Twitter can help you share your research with other researchers, journalists, decision makers, and the general public.
A tweetable abstract is a one or two line summary of your research, 280 characters or less, that communicates the main conclusion or the key message of your paper. Many publishers are now asking authors to include tweetable abstracts alongside traditional abstracts so the publisher can promote your article online. Tweetable abstracts are even showing up as part of article abstracts in databases such as PubMed and Scopus!
Once readers find your article, this tweetable abstract makes it easy for them to share your work on Twitter, thus expanding your potential audience even further. Here are some tips and tricks to help you create a tweetable abstract:
- Keep it short! Twitter has a 280 character limit (characters - not words). Your abstract must be within this limit. That said, when it comes to Twitter, less is more. Shorter tweets tend to have more engagement with users.
- Communicate the main conclusion or the key message of your paper. Here’s an example of a Tweet that does this from JAMA:
- Consider using a leading question to attract interest. You can provide a short answer in your tweet if you have space. Here’s an example of a tweetable question based on an article from the Journal of Advanced Nursing Twitter account:
- Avoid jargon - a tweetable abstract should be approachable, not intimidating.
- Use relevant tags and hashtags to increase the number of people who see your tweet.
- Turn buzzwords into hashtags.
- Be strategic about when you post your tweetable abstract. Post it during times you know people are active on Twitter. Avoid posting in the middle of the night.
- Include your Twitter handle in your tweetable abstract! This will allow others to reach out to you about your work. Here’s a good example of an author’s Twitter Handle being used in a tweet by the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH):
Want more information on how to create effective tweetable abstracts? Watch this short video from the Society for Conservation Biology to learn more about content, using hashtags, and including your Twitter Handle in your tweetable abstract.
