Organize Research Content

The research content on an academic department website acts as a window into the intellectual activity and accomplishments of your institution. It communicates to the world what you are solving and what impact you are making. When you are planning a new website or refreshing an existing one, it’s important to organize this content effectively. We’ll explore some considerations to present and organize research content.

Presenting Research Efforts

Presenting research content should reflect the complexity and depth of the research projects. Consider the following:

Short Write-Ups: For research projects in early stages or those with simple concepts, a concise write-up accompanied by one or two illustrative images is ideal. It gives visitors a quick overview of the work.

Long Write-Ups: For completed or complex research projects, more detailed explanations may be required. Incorporating multiple images, diagrams, and data visualizations can aid understanding.

Researcher Listings: You may choose to include the names of key researchers and contributors, providing them recognition and allowing visitors to connect the research with the people involved.

Publications: Upon completion of research, consider listing and linking relevant publications, showcasing the scholarly output of the research.

Resource Links: Any supplemental resources, such as PDFs of full research papers, data sets, etc., should be linked for further exploration.

Preparing Content for Web Developers

While web developers excel at building the structure of a website, they are not always experts in the specific content. Provide clear, organized information about advanced research topics. Outline the internal structure and classification of your research projects for smooth integration into the site.

Folder Structure for Research Content

Organize your research content into a structured folder system. This aids in content management and efficient website development. Consider a dedicated ‘Research’ folder that includes:

Image Files: Images help convey research concepts visually. Ensure they are high-resolution, and appropriately named for easy identification.

Text Files: These could contain the write-ups for your research projects. Depending on the complexity of the project, you may have multiple text files for each research item. A note here… it is much easier to copy content from a Word document than from a PDF (PDFs often add extra line breaks and formatting rarely transfers well to the Web).

Other Resources: This could include any relevant PDFs, data sets, or other files that should be linked to the research content. Make sure they are correctly named and correspond to the relevant research projects.

Conclusion

To organize research content for your academic department website, you must think through the best way to present it. The key is to create a balance between comprehensive information and user-friendly presentation. By structuring your research content efficiently and providing clear, organized information to your web developers, you can ensure your research efforts are showcased effectively. Ultimately, a well-planned and organized research section can enhance your academic department’s reputation and engage your website’s visitors with the fascinating work you do.

At Pendari, we’ve been serving the academic community for more than 20 years. We have seen nearly every way possible to present research content and are ready to help you with your website. Reach out and let’s get started!