PRIME-TIME

PRIMETIME is a national R&D project that aims to improve the visibility, accessibility, and impact of scientific content in digital environments—especially through public communication platforms, media outlets, and academic search engines. In an era where research dissemination increasingly takes place online, ensuring that scientific knowledge can be effectively found and understood by various audiences is essential to achieving open science goals.

The project focuses on how scientific information is searched, retrieved, and displayed online. It analyzes user behavior, search engine mechanisms, and descriptive elements (metadata, keywords, summaries) that influence the discoverability of research outputs. Using surveys, interviews, and data analysis, PRIMETIME evaluates current practices and identifies areas for improvement.

Beyond technical analysis, the project also addresses how research is promoted and represented in the digital sphere. It investigates the role of press releases and other communication strategies in shaping the visibility and reputation of research objects and institutions. Ultimately, PRIMETIME brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts in information science, digital infrastructures, and science communication to develop practical recommendations, indicators, and tools that contribute to a more inclusive, transparent, and open research ecosystem.

1. Analyze how scientific information is searched through academic search engines by identifying the structure and characteristics of common search expressions used by researchers.
2. Classify search terms specifically oriented toward the discovery of scientific content, considering differences across researcher profiles (discipline, age, gender, position, location).
3. Assess the coverage and overlap between various data sources that store or suggest search expressions (e.g., keywords from databases and engines).
4. Identify which digital research objects are more likely to be prioritized in search engine results based on formal attributes such as document type, publication date, citation metrics, metadata quality, and hosting platform.
5. Study the impact of content features—like data availability, references to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and open access status—on the visibility of scientific outputs.
6. Develop and test web-based indicators to measure search engine performance, including rankings, keyword presence, and click-through data related to research objects.
7. Evaluate the influence of promotional materials, particularly press releases, on the online visibility and reputation of scientific publications, researchers, and institutions.
8. Create indicators to analyze press releases as standalone research communication objects, considering their role in boosting dissemination and visibility of science.