Scholarly Identity: A Guide

A website or blog is a great way to manage and curate your scholarly identity. Through this medium you can express your ideas in a different form and reach a broader audience. 

Key considerations:

• Suitable for long-form writing
• Can be more time consuming 
• Able to post full pre-prints and data, when permitted
• Can include mixed media formats 
• Can demonstrate authority on a topic
• More control over layout, comments, access, and privacy

• Write in the first person and use an active voice
• Use catchy titles/headings for blog entries
• Upload pre/post prints and data - making your research widely available will increase your overall impact
• If possible, choose your own domain name
• Connect your blog to your social media accounts and email signature
• Choose or design a site that's minimal and clean - avoid bright and multiple colors
• Use a legible and consistent font type throughout
• Avoid large blocks of text
• Use search engine page rank optimization to identify popular searched-for keywords to include in your homepage
• Keep your website up-to-date to increase its rank in Google search results
• Monitor visits and usage to identify popular pages, content, and links
• Suggested pages to include (depending on your goals and needs):  About, Team/People, Publications, Resources, Teaching, Awards, Media Coverage, and Contact

Example: Dr. Karubian Lab. 2020. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology