Putting together a video can be an excellent way of promoting your paper. Authors who make a video that we can share on the blog and social media often find that their papers are downloaded more and often reach a wider audience. Videos can also be embedded in your published article.
If you decide to create a video about your research, it should aim to describe:
- The context of the work
- The method and how to use it
- Why the work is novel
Videos can be particularly useful for readers of Application or Practical Tools articles: you can use the video to demonstrate how to use your tool effectively.
Tips for making your own video
Please try to explain in way accessible to a lay person or first-year student. Videos are usually created by the author, but promoted by our journal, both on our website and YouTube channel, as well as our social media accounts. Your video should be two to five minutes long and if possible should be designed to promote your work using captivating visuals, such as videos, images, and an engaging and informative voice over. You can choose to appear on video or just narrate as a voice over.
It may be helpful to contact your institution’s Press Office about your video, as they may be able to help or have their own media production kit to help you create your video. Your institution may also have a Media Studies course with recording equipment and students willing to help with the recording and/or post-production editing.
You should draft your voice over text in advance and make sure you speak clearly. It’s always worth checking your recording equipment first, so you can be sure that you’re not positioned too far from the microphone, that the camera gets all of you, etc.
You should also make sure that your video starts or finishes with a slide of your paper title and author list.
Video Styles
Interview-style format
Involve two authors in your video by having one interview the other about your article. See Fairly-Small-Yellow-Bird ask Mr Blueberry about the Diversitree application here!
Video with voice over
This is especially effective if you have nice video footage of your method being used.
Slide Presentation
If you don’t have any appropriate video footage and don’t want to star in your video, talking over a deck of slides or photos of your methods is another alternative.
Videos for Applications articles
For your Application article, it may be helpful to readers if you provide a video explaining how to use the interface, for example:
Videos for Practical Tools articles
A video is a great way to demonstrate how to use your tool. Here are some examples.
Methods Blog 