Something New: Video Abstracts of Published Research Articles

On July 29, 2011, Dove Medical Press announced its launch of video abstracts for the Company's 100-plus peer reviewed medical and scientific journals. As papers are accepted for publication, the author is given the opportunity to present a brief video about the research article. See Dove Medical Press Publishes First Video Abstract (press release). So far, three have been published. See the Dove Medical Press YouTube channel. Quoting from the author guidelines for video abstracts:

Video abstracts are a new initiative and addition to papers that we are now offering our authors. The videos would be presented by the author, be of 1-4 minutes duration and give an overview of their paper so readers can get an idea of the content and motivation behind the paper.

The aim is to enable authors to personally explain the importance of their work to the reader. Video abstracts will enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation of an article through the accessible presentation of the main results and conclusions reported. To maximize engagement and visibility, authors are encouraged to combine footage of themselves with other relevant material of interest—such as imagery, animations, footage of an experiment running or a lab tour.

Hat tip to INFOdocket's post by Gary Price. [JH]