On 14 March 2025, NTU brought together 35 faculty, researchers, and support staff for a collaborative community engagement session aimed at enhancing research visibility and impact. Co-organised by the Fellowships and Awards (Research Support Office), NTU Library, and LKCMedicine, the event served as a platform to discuss actionable strategies for amplifying research influence within the academic and global landscape.

A Collective Effort to Support Research Excellence

This event highlighted the collective effort of NTU’s research support ecosystem:

Fellowships and Awards (Research Support Office): Sets the strategic framework and guides research toward excellence.
NTU Library: Equips researchers with essential tools, data, and insights to navigate the publishing landscape.
LKCMedicine (RAISE): Delivers research support services to drive impact measurement and enhance dissemination.

Assoc Prof Sanjay Chotirmall, Vice Dean (Research) delivering a warm welcome to the participants at LKCMedicine Novena Campus.

The session was structured into three sections, each offering practical insights and strategies from distinct perspectives.

Section 1: Strategies for Research Visibility and Impact

Presented by Prof Khor Khiam Aik, Director of Fellowships and Awards (Research Support Office), this segment delved into essential aspects of research impact, including:

  • Research Impact Metrics: An exploration of key performance indicators such as the Category Normalised Citation Impact (CNCI) and Journal Impact Factor (JIF).
  • Publication Strategies: How publishing in high-tier journals especially those listed on the Tier 1 list can bridge the research impact gap.
  • Balancing Global vs. Local Impact: A discussion on the balance between aligning research with global trends and addressing region-specific challenges such as tropical infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

Prof Michael Khor sharing insights on publishing strategies for research visibility and impact.

Section 2: Tools, Indicators & Resources for Research Visibility and Impact

This segment, presented by Ms Goh Su Nee, NTU Library, the focused on leveraging tools and data for strategic decision-making:

  • Navigating the Publishing Landscape: Practical advice on selecting reputable publication venues using the Tier 1 list, DR-NTU, and databases.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging citation analytics and research impact dashboards to monitor and enhance research visibility.
  • Optimising Research Profiles: Recommendations to update and link author profiles (e.g., ORCID, Google Scholar) and to use platforms like ResearchGate for broader dissemination.

Ms Goh Su Nee introducing tools and resources to boost research visibility.

Section 3: Research Support Services

In the final segment, Ms Koh Ee Kheng, from LKCMedicine’s RAISE (Research Achievement, Impact and Strategic Enhancement) Unit, discussed how research support services contribute to amplifying research influence:

  • The unit’s core mission is to disseminate LKCMedicine’s research impact and achievements. They also devise strategies to enhance the school’s profile nationally and internationally.
  • Detailed methodologies for tracking research inputs (grants, publications, patents, awards) and outputs (publication scores, personalised portfolios) were discussed.
  • RAISE showcased initiatives and the use of LKCMedicine Office of Research social media channels (e.g., the X account) to communicate research successes and foster a broader dialogue within the academic community.

Ms Koh Ee Kheng highlighting LKCMedicine’s research support services and initiatives.

The Q&A segment at the end, where the presenters took turns answering the participants’ enquiries.

The session concluded with an open invitation for continued dialogue and feedback, encouraging all participants  to contribute to NTU’s collective pursuit of research excellence Through collaborative efforts and strategic support, NTU remains dedicated to empowering researchers to maximise their impact in the academic world and beyond.

 

With contributions from the Fellowships and Awards (Research Support Office) team at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).