Posting your article online before you've even accepted an offer of publication can be a great way to generate buzz about your paper. Once you've posted, share your articles on social media.
When you accept a placement, make sure you read your agreement with the publication carefully. While student-run law journals will typically allow you to post your article on, for example, SSRN prior to publication, many other types of publications will place limits on where you can post the article and under what circumstances.
Before accepting a placement, if the agreement does not allow you to post a copy of your paper, consider asking to modify the agreement. One possibility is the SPARC Author Addendum.
The Big Ten Academic Alliance also have agreements with a variety of publishers that provide University of Iowa scholars with either (1) open access publishing options with fees waived, or (2) open-access publishing options with fee discounts. Examples of publishers with whom the University has agreements are:
A full list is available through the University Libraries Open Scholarship Toolkit and visit the Big Ten Academic Alliance's website for detailed information.
Again, be familiar with your publication agreement and any limits the agreement places on sharing after publication. If you are publishing in a peer-reviewed journal, your agreement may have restrictions of which version of the article you can post (for example, allowing you to post the submitted version, but not the final edited version), how soon after publication you can post, or a combination.
If you would like assistance posting to SSRN, please contact Nilza Molina at nilza-molina@uiowa.edu.
The marketing and business world has long taken search engine optimization (SEO) seriously, but keeping SEO in mind can benefit academics as well.
Google Scholar is a major search engine for academic scholarship. Google Scholar offers the familiarity of Google and a citator feature that captures (albeit imperfectly) citations to articles and books, allowing for an easy way to expand research.
A positive of Google Scholar is that it indexes an enormous collection of resources; a negative of Google Scholar is that it...well, indexes an enormous collection of resources. Because Google Scholar does not offer the precision or filtering options of a specialized subscription database like Westlaw, the amount of results can be overwhelming to researchers. One of the major ways in which your article will move up the results list is through getting cited.
Google and Google Scholar have some similarities, but also some differences, so keep in mind that these suggestions are geared towards Google Scholar:
Title: The title is the first thing that search engines and readers notice, so make it concise yet informative and keyword-focused. The keywords should be terms that people are likely to search for when looking for content related to your topic.
Abstract: The abstract should provide a concise, comprehensive overview of the article and include your primary keywords. Search engines often use the abstract to determine relevancy, so ensure it is well-written and includes relevant keywords that users would be likely to search.
Add metadata to your article PDF: While not visible in the article itself, the document metadata can help improve your article’s discoverability through search engines.
Accessibility: Ensure that your content is accessible for all users, including those using assistive technology. For example, instead of an image-based copy of your article, make sure the article PDF has text-recognized. Proper use of alt text for images, clear and simple language, and a logical, easy-to-follow structure can all improve accessibility and SEO.
Avoid unnecessary jargon: While your article may require specific terminology, try to explain complex concepts in simpler terms where possible. This not only makes your work more accessible to a wider audience, but it can also improve SEO as people are more likely to search using common language. Remember, many citations to articles are added by law student editors, so your audience is more than just law professors.
Promote your work: Share your work on social media, post a link to the article on your personal website, alert the Law Library that your article has been published for inclusion in the faculty bibliography. The more links to your article, the more visibility it gains.