Technique of the week #8: Video abstracts

What you need to know

Video abstracts tend to be 1-4 minutes, and allow the authors of an academic paper to personally explain their work to a broader audience.
Video abstracts maximize engagement and visibility by allowing authors to combine filming themselves with images, animations and laboratory experiments to explain their research paper.
Video abstracts should tell a story, rather than a regurgitation of facts. They should convey the researcher’s interest and excitement.
More journals are accepting video abstracts (e.g., New Journal of Physics, Cell, Elsevier).

Resources, time, and skill

A video abstract can be created with a simple laptop camera and have the researcher summarize their research.
More complex video abstracts can use visuals or animations (free software such as Paint, Pant.NET, or Windows Movie Maker may be used). Use the best quality camera possible.
Depending on the complexity of the video abstract, the amount of time, resources and skill will vary.

Key Considerations

Video abstracts are not meant to replace a text-based article, but rather to enhance the understanding (e.g., explanation of complex methods, or technical aspects) of the research. Just as text-based abstracts provide a preview of the article to allow the reader to determine to purchase or download the article, the same applies to a video abstract, except through images, animations, and sounds.

Incorporating webinars in your KMb

Video abstracts are a great way to reach other audiences that may not be directly involved in your research field.
Video abstracts can be a way for research to have an immediate impact on students, colleagues, and/or other researchers by streamlining, and increasing visibility and access to the research.
These informative and accessible communication products may be appreciated or required by funding agencies.

The take away