Advice on establishing a strategic digital presence (opinion)

For early career researchers (ECRs), setting up a digital research space may feel like another burden on an already tight schedule. The idea of ​​online professional networking often conjures up images of overwhelming social media messages and self-promoting influencers.

However, ECR relies solely on institutional platforms to enable its digital footprint and therefore faces a significant risk: information portability. While university websites have high visibility as trusted sources, most ECRs on short-term contracts lose web and email access once their contracts expire. This often forces them to hastily rebuild their online presence when they need to make a critical career transition.

Having worked with PhD and postdoctoral candidates across Europe, common initial hesitations when setting up a digital research space include: uncertainty about how and where to start, discouragement from senior researchers who feel that digital networking is not “real” work, fear of appearing boastful and/or the paralysis of imposter syndrome. Understanding these hesitations, I emphasized in my guidance that establishing a digital research space was a natural extension of ECR ​​professional development.

Why the strategic digital research space matters

A proactive, professional digital strategy has several key advantages.

• Enhance visibility and discoverability: A well-curated, current, consistent and coherent digital presence can significantly improve discoverability to peers, potential collaborators, future employers, funders, journal editors and the media.
• networking: Strategically use digital platforms to transcend institutional and geographical boundaries to connect with specific individuals, research groups and relevant industry contacts around the world.
• Demonstrate expertise and influence: Your digital space gives you a comprehensive view of your contributions beyond publications, including skills, ongoing projects, presentations, teaching, promotion and wider impact.
• Meet communication expectations: As research advances, especially with the help of public funding, there is an increasing need to communicate research results outside academia. Funders, institutions and the public expect researchers to demonstrate wider impact and social relevance, and a strategic digital presence provides an effective channel for these important communications.
• Control your narrative: Actively shape your professional identity and how your expertise is viewed, rather than relying on fragmented institutional profiles or database entries.
• Ensure information portability and longevity: Platforms such as LinkedIn, ORCID, Google Scholar or a personal website ensure that your professional identity, network and achievements remain consistent, accessible and under your control throughout your career.

Getting Started: Choose Your Digital Network Portfolio

The goal is not to be everywhere, but to be strategically online. Consider your available time and choose a mix of platforms and engagement methods that align with your specific goals and target audience.

Different platforms serve different strategic goals and audiences at different stages of research. Dividing your digital platform into three subspaces helps paint a picture and can help you establish a more balanced presence throughout the research cycle.

First, identify your primary strategic goal: public communication, professional network expansion, or deeper engagement in your academic field? Your answers will guide your platform choices as your goal is to eventually be present in every space.

Next, consider your audience reach. Effective research communication depends on understanding the target audience and their needs.

• Academic discourse: Early in your career, specialized academic platforms such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, institutional repositories, and reference managers with social features (such as Mendeley) are key to direct interaction with peers. Basic persistent identifiers such as ORCID are critical for tracking output across systems.
• Professional Network: When you’re looking to advance your career, LinkedIn, Google (including Google Scholar) and X (formerly Twitter) are important hubs in academia, industry and related sectors.
• Share your influence: TikTok, Facebook and Instagram excel at broader communication. Be sure to adjust your style and tone: While academics can handle jargon and complex concepts, a broader audience will use simpler English more often.

A powerful, time-saving and pragmatic starting point is to create a free and unique researcher identification number (e.g. ORCID), develop a professional LinkedIn profile and interact with relevant academic platforms (this will complement your university or laboratory website). Because ORCID requires no maintenance and LinkedIn profiles can leverage existing institutional and biographical information, this combination allows ECR to quickly lay a solid foundation for progressive digital expansion in the medium term.

Make it manageable: time, engagement and content

Once the platform combination is in place, effective digital management requires balancing three core elements: time, engagement and content.

time investment

Key information: Prioritize consistency over quantity.

• Focus on participating in: Allocate brief, regular time (for example, 15 to 30 minutes per week) for specific activities, such as checking in on discussions, sharing updates, or thoughtful comments during focused research periods.
• Platform nuances: Invest strategically, recognizing that platforms have different cadences and lifecycles (for example, a LinkedIn post typically has a longer lifecycle than X post).
• Outbreak of activity: Plan ahead, leverage scheduling tools for automated publishing, and strategically ramp up activity around key events like publications or conferences.
• Content rhythm: Consistency trumps constant noise, so plan a realistic posting schedule, such as once a month.

got engaged

Key information: Focus on short-term but regular efforts.

• Actively participate in: Move beyond passive consumption by commenting, sharing relevant work, and asking insightful questions.
• Build relationships: Genuine interactions foster trust and meaningful connections.
• Monitor your impact (optional): Use platform analytics to understand what resonates and refine your strategy.

Content type

Key information: Your efforts should be directed online.

• written: Summary, Insights, Blog Posts, Topics, Articles.
• Visual: Infographics, charts, clear research images, presentation slides.
• multimedia: Short explainer videos, audio clips, recorded talks.
• Cross post: Share content on all relevant platforms (for example, post your YouTube videos on LinkedIn and ResearchGate).

overcome reluctance

If you’re on the fence, consider these starting points:

• Start small and stay focused: Choose one or two platforms that align with your priorities. Master these before scaling.
• Embrace learning: Your initial digital content may not be perfect, but continued practice will lead to significant improvements. Allow yourself to progress.
• Integrate, not isolate: Integrate digital engagement into your research workflow. Share insights from a webinar or interesting paper with your network.
• Give and take: Focus on providing value by sharing insights, asking stimulating questions, and amplifying the work of others. Reciprocity promotes networks.
• Set boundaries: Protect your deep work time. Schedule dedicated digital engagement periods during lower energy periods and manage notifications wisely.
• be patient: Recognize that building meaningful networks and visibility is a long-term career investment.

Your digital research space: a career asset

Strategic digital research spaces are critical to navigating and succeeding in the modern research enterprise. A thoughtful approach enables you to control your professional narrative, build lasting networks, meet communication expectations and ensure your valuable contributions are both visible and portable.