Leveraging multimedia abstracts: Redefining research impact in academic journals

Beyond Words: Can Journals Leverage Multimedia Abstracts to Redefine Research Impact? 

Today, the way information is shared is overwhelmingly shaped by platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, forcing information providers to rethink how they present and share information. With rapid advancements in digital technology and increased media consumption, audiences now expect content that is not only engaging but also easily digestible. This shift presents a challenge for the academic community, which has traditionally relied on text-based abstracts to introduce new research. To meet the changing communication needs, these conventional formats may no longer be adequate, calling for the need to explore alternate abstract formats that offer a more dynamic and captivating way to present research and reach a wider audience. In response, scholarly publishers are adopting multimedia content like video summaries, interactive charts, and even virtual reality to make academic articles more engaging and easier to understand. 

Research abstracts get a makeover 

Publishers are increasingly recognizing the need to adapt to different research multi-format abstracts, which provide audiences with innovative and engaging ways to connect with scholarly content. Among these formats, graphical abstracts have become particularly popular, distilling the essence of a paper's key findings into visually appealing representations, with over 100 journals and institutions, including the Lancet family of journals and the Journal of Cell Biology, adopting this approach. Abstracts in the form of short video summaries of the research, including interviews with authors or animated explanations, are also being explored by prominent publishers like IOP Publishing and Sage. Incorporating visual elements to create interactive abstracts can further allow readers to interact directly with the data, paving the way for multimedia abstracts to fundamentally transform reader engagement. Here, we’re looking at how multimedia abstracts can not only make research information more accessible but also help publishers get more eyes on their publication, reshaping the way research is shared. 

1. Improved article discoverability 

Multimedia abstracts are specifically designed to enhance sharing capabilities across various platforms, such as social media and academic networking sites, which play a crucial role in contemporary methods of communication and audience engagement. The inherent visual appeal of these abstracts significantly boosts user interaction and sharing, which in turn amplifies the reach and discoverability of the articles they represent. Additionally, reports establishing a connection between visual abstracts and higher Altmetric scores further indicate that these engaging formats are associated with an increase in overall visibility and impact within the academic community. Another important consideration is when academics use Google Images to search for research findings, graphical abstracts can enable their discovery. 

2. Boosting citation rates 

Multimedia abstracts are such a game-changer for making complex research findings easier to understand, capturing greater attention and engaging a broader audience. They allow readers to quickly understand an article's key points, which can really boost the chances of it being read and cited. Research indicates that articles featuring visual abstracts tend to be more frequently shared on social media, enhancing their visibility, which can consequently influence increased citations. 

3. Increasing engagement and journal readership 

By incorporating visual elements, these abstracts capture the audience's attention more effectively, leading to increased interest in the research and greater readership of the associated articles. Moreover, the general public, including patients and laypersons, benefits from this kind of effective and targeted communication, as it enhances their understanding of complex information. These formats break language and expertise barriers, making complex research understandable for non-experts, practitioners, and policymakers. A study highlighted that the tweets featuring visual abstracts garnered substantially more engagement on Twitter—by five-fold over citation-only tweets and a nearly 3-fold increase in article visits. Multimedia abstracts grab attention faster than plain text, increasing the likelihood of readers exploring the full article. Moreover, a report also suggests that for journals, including graphical abstracts alongside their publications tend to see an average annual usage of articles that is often double that of those without one, making incorporation of graphical abstracts an increasingly valuable practice in academic publishing. 

Roadblocks to multimedia abstracts: Navigating the transition 

Researchers often lack the necessary skills or tools to produce effective visual abstracts, which only adds to their already overwhelming workload. Although some journals take on the task of creating high-quality visual abstracts, this also requires the involvement of skilled designers and additional resources, creating a financial burden, particularly for smaller publishers. Furthermore, as the focus on accessibility of published materials grows, publishers must also provide accessible formats for multimedia abstracts, adding yet another responsibility to their list. While visual abstracts are ideally suited for dissemination on social media, they currently lack searchability and a formal means of inclusion in key databases like PubMed. And so, platforms or methods to ensure graphical abstracts can be effectively accessed and shared can be valuable in the long run. 

To address these challenges, publishers and journals should consider providing author support and training, as well as collaborating with experts and professional science communication platforms to streamline the design process. Joining forces with research institutions to implement training for researchers is also a valuable initiative. Also, having clear guidelines and editorial scrutiny can help ensure quality control of graphical abstracts published in the journals. As part of their post-publication support, journals can also encourage authors to share their visual abstracts on social media, while actively leveraging their own platforms to expand the reach of these abstracts. Additionally, developing workflows and enhancing journal websites and submission systems to seamlessly integrate visual content will be beneficial. Tracking metrics to assess the impact of visual abstracts can further demonstrate their value and foster broader adoption in the academic community.