How Scientific Reports supports research careers

Author: Siobhan Bates

How does Scientific Reports help researchers accomplish their career goals? As you may have seen in the previous blog post, Scientific Reports publishes open access (OA) work from across all scientific disciplines. In addition, as part of the Nature Portfolio, it does so rigorously, paying extra attention to upholding editorial quality. In this blog our authors reveal how publishing their work in Scientific Reports has brought their research increased attention and led to career growth.

All valid research has a home at Scientific Reports —regardless of author seniority or how unconventional the work. Researchers forging their careers can publish work here knowing it will reach the relevant and intended audience. They can also be safe in the knowledge that readers can also trust the research we publish.

Anurag Roy 

Dr Anurag Roy is an early career researcher in Renewable Energy at the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, UK. His research expertise lies in material design, synthesis, and characterization, with a focus on advancing solar energy technologies. Because this work applies both to solar energy as well as materials science, finding the best venue can be challenging. But after publishing in Scientific Reports, Dr Roy said,

"Publishing in scientific journals? Game changer. My work was published in Scientific Reports, and that is a big deal because it’s interdisciplinary and open access. People can read it from their couches, or while they’re pretending to be productive on a plane. Plus, when people see my name in these journals, they're suddenly a lot more interested in chatting at conferences. … And to top it all off, the journal really rolls out the red carpet for us authors, offering all sorts of ways to promote our work… My grand plan? Pushing the boundaries of solar energy research and making sure that my work isn’t just collecting dust in some obscure journal, but truly making a real, tangible impact."

Read Dr Roy’s article: Effectual visible light photocatalytic reduction of para-nitro phenol using reduced graphene oxide and ZnO composite

Simona Francese

Dr Simona Francese is Professor of Forensic and Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), UK. She is the Lead of the Sheffield Multi-Modal Imaging Centre and Head of the Centre for Mass Spectrometry Imaging at SHU. Her recent research focuses on the interface between forensics and clinical diagnostics using blood and sweat in fingertip smears to detect cancer and other pathologies. After publishing this work in Scientific Reports, Dr Francese said,

"[W]e looked at journals of high scientific prestige and high reach in order to disseminate our findings and connect with the relevant communities to progress and eventually implement this research. Scientific Reports fit the bill and was the obvious and the right choice for us… The paper was published on Feb 1^st 2023 and we had an immediate high profile media attention starting with the UK The Sunday Times, and then BBC Breakfast (The red sofa) on Feb 19^th. From that day there has been a flurry of national and international high coverage in Europe and the rest of the world." 

Read Dr Francese’s article: Non-invasive screening of breast cancer from fingertip smears—a proof of concept study 

Faith Ka Shun Chan

An expert in urban water issues, Dr Faith Ka Shun Chan studies the “Sponge City” concept, which uses networks of greenery, rather than just drainage systems, to manage floods in urban environments. He is Professor of Geographical Sciences at the University of Nottingham in China. He has published two articles in Scientific Reports, about which he said,

"Honestly, some journalists did read the articles and contacted me to understand further about Sponge Cities and create a lot of impact and sharing. I can share that is a good choice to get your outstanding paper to be published here at Scientific Reports… [T]here are quite a few people who emailed me/us after our papers were published at Scientific Reports. That provides convenience and a free download mechanism for their readers. That will certainly help readers to go through the paper and follow up on some major issues in the past five years."

Read Dr Chan’s article: Improving urban flood resilience via GDELT GKG analyses in China’s Sponge Cities

Amisha Singh

Dr Amisha Singh is a Research Scholar, Psychologist, and Assistant Professor at the University of Delhi, specializing in sports psychology. About publishing her article, “The role of the six factors model of athletic mental energy in mediating athletes’ well-being in competitive sports,” in Scientific Reports, she said,

"The reach of my work has extended far beyond what I had initially imagined. I’ve received feedback and inquiries not only from academics but also from sports practitioners looking to apply the findings in real-world settings… The response to the paper has been overwhelming in the best way. Coaches, sports psychologists, and athletes have reached out to discuss the implications of the model for improving athletic performance while protecting mental health. This interaction has provided me with invaluable insights into how my research can be applied in practical settings, shaping the future direction of my work. Publishing with Scientific Reports has also opened doors for collaboration, networking, and opportunities for new projects. It has definitely strengthened my career trajectory and widened my academic and professional horizons."

Read Dr Singh’s article: The role of the six factors model of athletic mental energy in mediating athletes’ well-being in competitive sports 

Kristina Wolf

Dr Kristina Wolf is a Research Associate with the School of Engineering at Newcastle University, focusing on Geospatial Systems. After publishing her work on Smart Cities in an article Collection in Scientific Reports, Dr Wolf said,

"[W]hen Scientific Reports had a special issue on “Smart Cities” we thought this research could contribute to this domain and reach a broad, interdisciplinary audience as we use various data streams and demonstrate how we can support different stages of the incident management process… Publishing open access helped increase the readership of my work among researchers and practitioners. Making the work more accessible and visible to researchers has also led to more citations. People have contacted me following the publication, leading to interesting discussions that might not otherwise have occurred… The public interest in my work allowed me to create new connections with fellow researchers and industry experts. The publication was a great catalyst for new collaborative opportunities, broadening my network and creating new possibilities to present my work at in-person seminars, virtual webinars, and conferences."

Read Dr Wolf’s article: Towards a digital twin for supporting multi-agency incident management in a smart city

Conclusion

The stories from these five researchers — who come from different disciplines and different career stages — all show how Scientific Reports’ role as your hub for global discovery connects researchers and their work to their audiences; supports interaction, networking, and opportunities; and supports growth in their careers.

In the next blog in this series the authors offer their thoughts on how other researchers in similar situations could also have similar success publishing to Scientific Reports.

Scientific Reports is an open access journal publishing original research from across all areas of the natural sciences, psychology, medicine and engineering. As the 5^th most-cited journal in the world, we offer authors a trustworthy and highly respected home for their research. Learn more about how we support researchers at every stage of their research career and how you can publish with us.

Catch up on the first post in this blog series: Scientific Reports: Your hub for global discovery