You’ve spent months, or maybe even years, working on your research. You’ve designed experiments, analysed data, written papers, and survived reviewer comments. Now it’s time to make sure people actually hear about it.
Research doesn’t have to stay within journal articles and conference presentations. Whether you want to connect with the public, potential collaborators, funders, policymakers, or future scientists, there are plenty of ways to share your work beyond the lab.
Here are five simple ways to get started.
1. Turn Your Research Paper into a Lay Summary
One of the best ways to bridge the gap between researchers and the public is to explain your research in plain language.
Science has a language of its own, and research papers can be difficult to understand for anyone outside your field. By removing the jargon and focusing on the key message, you can make your work much more accessible.
When writing a lay summary, try to answer four simple questions:
- What problem are you trying to solve?
- How did you investigate it?
- What did you find?
- Why does it matter?
Tip: Imagine explaining your research to a friend or family member with no scientific background. If they can understand the main message, you’re on the right track.
A picture really can paint a thousand words. Consider creating a visual summary or infographic to accompany your lay summary and highlight your key findings.
Once you’ve created it, don’t let it sit in a folder on your computer. Share it with your department or university communications team, post it on LinkedIn or other social media platforms, and consider reaching out to local newspapers or community publications if your research has local relevance.
2. Share Your Research on LinkedIn
Don’t be shy; share your research!
LinkedIn is a fantastic platform for connecting with researchers, industry professionals, collaborators, and people who are genuinely interested in your work.
You don’t have to wait until you’ve published a paper or won an award. Some of the most engaging posts are about the research journey itself.
You could share:
- A recent publication with a plain-language explanation.
- A conference poster or presentation.
- Something interesting you learned at a conference.
- A behind-the-scenes glimpse of life in the lab.
- A challenge you’ve overcome during your research.
- An exciting collaboration or milestone.
To help your posts reach a wider audience, tag collaborators, your institution, and relevant organisations where appropriate.
3. Get Involved in Public Engagement
Science communication doesn’t have to happen online.
Events such as science festivals, Pint of Science, science cafés, university open days, museum events, and community exhibitions provide fantastic opportunities to talk about your research with people outside academia.
If you’re looking for a challenge, competitions such as FameLab and Three Minute Thesis encourage researchers to explain complex ideas in a clear, engaging, and accessible way.
You could also volunteer for school visits or outreach programmes to inspire the next generation of scientists.
Public engagement isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about starting conversations and sharing your enthusiasm for science.
4. Create a Space to Share Your Research
If you enjoy communicating your research, consider creating a dedicated space where people can follow your work.
This could be a LinkedIn page, Bluesky account, Instagram profile, personal website, or blog. The beauty of modern science communication is the variety of formats available. You might share:
- Infographics
- Short videos
- Carousel posts
- Interviews
- Podcasts
- Cartoons
- Behind-the-scenes content from the lab
- Conference highlights
You don’t have to post every day. Sharing consistently, even occasionally, can help build a community around your work and make your research more visible over time.
5. Create and Maintain Researcher Profiles
Researcher profiles are one of the simplest ways to showcase your work professionally and increase its visibility.
Platforms such as ORCID, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar make it easy for other researchers, collaborators, funders, journalists, and anyone interested in your work to quickly learn more about your research.
Keeping these profiles up to date means that when someone discovers your work, whether through a conference, publication, social media post, or recommendation, they have an easy way to explore your publications, research interests, and career.
It’s a small task that can make a big difference to your professional visibility.
Final Thoughts
Science communication doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t need a huge following or professional training to make a difference.
Writing lay summaries, sharing your research on LinkedIn, taking part in public engagement, creating a space to showcase your work, and maintaining researcher profiles are all simple steps that can help your research reach wider audiences.
Start with one idea that feels achievable and build from there. Every conversation, post, presentation, or public event is another opportunity for someone to discover your research.
Great research deserves to be understood, and sometimes all it takes is taking the conversation beyond the lab.
