Discover collections: An effective approach for enhancing article impact

Author: Siobhan Bates and Joanne Ratcliffe

Discover journals strive to meet the needs of its research communities. In the fourth of a series of blogs, we explore how Discover collections help researchers achieve their research goals. Take a look at how collection authors have benefitted from the increased attention and readership that comes with publishing in a Discover collection.

Discover: A home for all valid research

At Discover, submissions are not judged on their significance or impact; we believe all research has a contribution to make. As inclusive journals, Discover publishes all scientifically valid and technically sound research that makes an original contribution to the field.

Starting out in physical and applied sciences, Discover journals have since expanded into humanities and social sciences, medicine, life sciences, and engineering, with a view of eventually covering all fields of research. We believe that by bringing together researchers from across a broad spectrum of research fields Discover journals promote the interdisciplinary collaboration needed to address major global challenges.

But what are the benefits of publishing in a collection with Discover journals and how can it support your research goals? 

Discover collections: Meeting the needs of researchers

Created with research community needs in mind, Discover offers authors a rapid, reliable, and satisfying publishing experience without sacrificing integrity and rigour. Collections authors can expect no less when publishing a collection article.

“Discover journals' collections are designed with the needs of our research communities in mind. With open accessibility, rigorous peer review, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, we aim to ensure your work makes a lasting impact within the academic community and beyond.” 

- Cherry Chen, Head of Collections Management and Acquisition, Springer Nature

Putting research in the hands of engaged and relevant audiences

Collections group relevant research around a theme or topic, within the scope of the journal. As a result, collections offer readers a valuable and reliable source for the latest perspectives and data in their areas of interest. This enhanced discoverability makes sure your research reaches an engaged and relevant target audience.

Combined with the fact that Discover publishes all articles open access, and collections come with deadlines for submission, this means the insights and breakthroughs published to a collection can start to make a real-world impact in real-time.  

Driving impact through increased readership and visibility  

Publishing your work in a Discover collection also generates increased visibility. By publishing alongside researchers working in the same field, and beyond, your work gains broader exposure to readers interested in the collection’s subject matter.

By having a thematic focus, collections help readers easily find, access, and identify research that is relevant to them. This means researchers can spend less time searching for content that interests them, and more time citing, building upon, and implementing your research so it can make a real-world impact as soon as possible.

Helping authors connect with peers to grow their network

Collections also help authors to grow their professional networks. At Discover, collections are overseen by Guest Editors that have thematic expertise. This means collections authors can expect expert editorial support and valuable editorial feedback throughout the publication process.

Additionally, by publishing a collection article, authors gain interdisciplinary exposure ultimately enriching their work. By publishing alongside experts from across the globe, authors connect with researchers that work on related issues. This sparks potential opportunities for new connections and collaborations and greater communication across research communities.

“All collections’ content is curated by expert guest editors; this enhances the quality of published research and increases readership and impact.” 

- Kun Yu, Director of Collections Management and Acquisition, Springer Nature

Collection articles: increased online attention and engagement

Publishing in a collection can also lead to improved article metrics such as downloads and citations. In 2024, Discover collections articles received, on average, 20% more citations than those published as standalone articles. Similarly, articles published in Discover collections were downloaded 14.3% times more than non-collection articles.

Article impact, however, is not measured only by the number of downloads and citations. Altmetric evaluates scholarly work’s reach and influence, tracking online engagement in real time. It calculates a score based on the online attention an article gets in various platforms and engagement with the publication.

According to Altmetric, since launch in 2020

• Nearly 90% of Discover articles (in Discover journals tracked by Altmetric) have received online engagement in news articles, blogposts, social media mentions, and others
• Discover articles have been mentioned over 90 times as part of policy documents, patents, and clinical guidelines

These impressive statistics highlight the impact of Discover research in the real world. It would also come as no surprise that an article published in a collection has one of Discover’s top Altmetric scores.   

Evaluating reach and visibility with Altmetric: An example

One of Discover’s top scoring articles in Altmetric is ‘Virtual reality intervention effects on future self-continuity and delayed reward preference in substance use disorder recovery: pilot study results,’ by Yitong I. Shen, Andrew J. Nelson, and Brandon G. Oberlin. It was published in 2022 in Discover Mental Health as part of the collection ‘Digital footprints as a new translational approach for mental health care.’ The article, which investigates virtual reality interventions on substance use disorders, holds an Altmetric score of 145, and has been mentioned by 19 news outlets within less than three years since it was published.

A surge in engagement with a single collection article will drive more readers to the collection. As a result, all authors that published in the same collection will naturally benefit from this increased attention and readership. Indeed, the ‘Digital footprints’ collection has received 53 citations, 171 Altmetric mentions, and its papers were downloaded nearly 32,500 times, making it one of the journal’s top performing collections.

Publish you work in a Discover collection to give your work the broadest reach, enhanced visibility, and engaged readership. Find the right collection at Discover. 

Catch up on the earlier posts in this blog series: 

Discover: A portfolio of inclusive, open access journals with community in mind

Inclusive, global and interdisciplinary: Discover journals break with tradition

Responsive, inclusive, and reactive: Going behind the scenes at Discover