Research communication guide
How do I explain my research findings in a short video for non-specialists?
Updated by the Vidi team
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A short video for non-specialists has one job. It helps someone outside your field understand what you found and why it matters. That means a different shape from your paper, fewer words than you expect, and pictures doing much of the work.
Much of the advice reviewed for this page is about video abstracts. These sit next to a journal article, and their main aim is to get people to read it. A public explainer may have no paper to send viewers to, so treat that advice as a starting point. Some guides quoted here also come from companies that sell video services or courses. Keep that in mind when they promise results.
How it works
How to do it with Vidi
Paste your abstract or key findings
Paste your abstract or a few plain sentences about what you found. Say who the viewers are and how long you want the video. For a whole paper, use Research with Vidi: upload a PDF or add it by DOI or arXiv ID, then choose a length from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Free accounts make vertical videos of up to 45 seconds. Longer videos need a paid plan.
Check every scene against your paper
Vidi drafts the script scene by scene. Read it before anything is animated. Fix wording, numbers and any simplification that goes too far. In Research with Vidi, each claim is labelled supported, simplified, interpretation or analogy and must quote a page. Vidi checks that the quote is on that page, but you check the meaning.
Choose the shape and share it
Pick vertical 9:16 for social media, or widescreen 16:9 on Pro and higher plans for talks and slides. Download the video with subtitles and a transcript, or share an unlisted link you can switch off at any time. In explainer videos you can change a single scene with a note instead of starting again.
Lead with the finding, not the paper's order
Your paper runs from background to methods to results. A non-specialist may not wait that long. Peer Recognized suggests the journalist's inverted pyramid instead: what viewers must know first, then what is good to know, then what is nice to know. For a broad audience, it says to 'sell the result, not the features'.
CASRAI notes that several publishers suggest three parts: the question or problem, a brief method, then the main finding and why it matters. OpenAlex suggests opening with the problem: what was unanswered, and how did that affect the viewer's life or the field? Conference Alerts splits the shape into four parts, problem, approach, finding and meaning, at about 45 seconds each, without method detail.
Give each scene one idea and one picture. Keep text on screen light, so people can read it while they listen. JBI suggests thinking of the video as telling a compelling story about your research, and introducing yourself as the author at the start.
End with one thing to do next. For a video abstract, that is usually 'read the article'. For a public explainer, pick something your viewer can actually act on.
How long it should be, and how many words
Advice on length varies. Taylor & Francis says 2 minutes 20 seconds or less is perfect. The University of Missouri library says ideally 2 to 3 minutes. OpenAlex says 3 to 5 minutes. Some journals set hard caps: CASRAI describes Cell Press allowing 5 minutes and 500 MB, while another journal might cap videos at 3 minutes or a smaller file size.
So check where the video will go before you write anything. Look for the length limit, file size, accepted formats and content rules, such as no copyrighted music. Taylor & Francis also asks for a written transcript of what is said and shown, for accessibility. If there are no rules, 2 to 3 minutes is a sensible target.
Then write to the clock. OpenAlex puts speech at about 120 to 150 words a minute, so multiply your target minutes by that range to get your word budget. OpenAlex also suggests a script of 750 words or less. Read the draft aloud with a stopwatch, as CASRAI suggests, and cut until it fits. If it runs long, drop a second finding rather than talking faster.
Pick a format you can finish
You have four main options. Filming yourself is quick, and JBI notes it lets viewers meet the person behind the research. Taylor & Francis suggests a phone that records in HD, a tripod and a plug-in microphone. Light your face from the front and do not sit in front of a window. Try not to read the script word for word to the camera. An outline is enough if you can improvise.
Narrated slides are familiar and need little editing. Peer Recognized points out that PowerPoint can record a slide show, and it is free on many university computers. The risk is a mini lecture with crowded slides.
Whiteboard or animated videos can show processes you cannot film. Tools such as VideoScribe or Animaker exist, but full animation takes real time and skill. Peer Recognized notes that VideoScribe needs SVG images to draw them line by line.
AI tools can draft a narrated, animated video from your abstract. Vidi, for example, writes the script, narration, animation and captions, so you need no editing skills. AI drafts can be wrong, so check every line. If you want viewers to meet the person behind the research, as JBI puts it, filming yourself is the better choice.
Mistakes to avoid
Check your draft for these problems. Does it follow the paper's order instead of leading with the finding? Is there too much method detail? Is there jargon? A term your colleagues know may need a plain word or a quick picture for everyone else. Does it ramble because there was no script? Are the slides crowded? Is the sound weak? A quiet room or a lapel microphone helps. Did you edit to one journal's spec, only to find your real target is stricter? Did you forget to tell viewers what to do next?
Be careful with claims you read in guides. One repeats an '8-second attention span' figure that is disputed and hard to trace to an original study, so do not design around it. Several guides say video abstracts raise visibility or citations, but the ones reviewed for this page cite no study for that. Make the video because it helps people understand your work.
Ways to make a short research video
| What you need | Good for | Watch out for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talking head (you on camera) | A phone or tablet that records in HD, a tripod, a plug-in or lapel microphone | Fast to make; viewers meet the person behind the research | Poor sound or lighting; sitting in front of a window; reading the script word for word |
| Narrated slides | PowerPoint's Record Slide Show, or recording through Zoom | Familiar, free on many university computers, little editing | Turning into a mini lecture; crowded slides |
| Whiteboard or hand-drawn animation | VideoScribe or a physical whiteboard | Explaining a process step by step | VideoScribe draws line by line only from SVG images |
| Animation and motion graphics | Tools such as Animaker or Blender | Showing things you cannot film | A large cost in time and skill |
| Social media GIF | A PowerPoint template of up to 5 slides exported as a GIF | A very quick teaser | No sound; not a full explanation |
| AI explainer (Vidi) | Your abstract, findings or paper | A narrated, animated draft with captions, without editing skills | AI drafts can be wrong; free videos are vertical and up to 45 seconds; 16:9 needs Pro or higher |
Limits worth knowing
- Much of the advice reviewed for this page is about video abstracts tied to a journal article, and several guides come from companies selling video services or courses. A public explainer may need a different ending and tone.
- The sources reviewed for this page give no study showing that short videos increase citations or views, so do not count on that.
- Vidi's scripts are AI drafts and can be wrong or oversimplified. In Research with Vidi a quote shows where a claim comes from, not that the reading of it is right, so check the meaning against your paper.
- Free Vidi accounts make vertical videos of 15, 30 or 45 seconds, so a 2 to 3 minute video needs a paid plan. Research with Vidi paper videos are narrated only in English or Vietnamese.
Sources
- Taylor & Francis: Creating a video abstract for your research
- University of Missouri Libraries: Increase research impact through video abstracts
- OpenAlex blog: Impact challenge, video abstract
- CASRAI: How to create a video abstract for a research paper
- Peer Recognized: How to create a scientific explainer video or video abstract
- JBI: Guide for video abstracts
- Conference Alerts: How to create a video abstract
- Pubrica: Create the perfect video abstract for a research paper
- Enago Academy: Top 6 tips for a video abstract
How long should a research video for non-specialists be?
Check your venue's rules first. Without rules, guides range from 2 minutes 20 seconds or less (Taylor & Francis) to 2 to 3 minutes (University of Missouri library) and 3 to 5 minutes (OpenAlex). Around 2 to 3 minutes is a sensible middle. For a social media teaser, shorter can work.
How many words should my script be?
OpenAlex puts speech at about 120 to 150 words a minute, so multiply your target length in minutes by that range. It also suggests keeping the whole script to 750 words or less. Read your script aloud with a stopwatch and cut until it fits, rather than speaking faster.
Do I have to appear on camera?
No. Narrated slides, whiteboard animation and AI-made animated explainers all work without your face. Being on camera does let viewers meet the person behind the research, as JBI notes. If you choose it, use a quiet room, front lighting and a plug-in or lapel microphone.
How do I avoid jargon without dumbing it down?
Keep the finding exact and change the words around it. Replace each specialist term with a plain word, or show it with a picture. Keep your real numbers but explain what they mean for the viewer. Then ask someone outside your field to watch and tell you what they understood.
Will a video abstract increase my citations?
The guides reviewed for this page claim videos can raise visibility, but none of them cited a study showing it. Treat impact promises with care, especially from companies that sell video services. Make the video because it helps people understand your work.
What should I check before I start making the video?
Find out where it will go and read the rules. Look for length limits, file size, accepted formats, whether you need a transcript and limits such as no copyrighted music. CASRAI warns against editing to one journal's spec and then finding your real target is stricter.