Questions have been raised over whether allowing comments on blogs and other sites is conducive to wider understanding of science. Jonathan Mendel and Hauke Riesch present a look at how online comments, even uncivil ones, can positively benefit community cohesion and inclusive engagement. But efforts must be taken to challenge destructive behaviour like trolling and to support those targeted with abuse. Blogging […]
Category: Social Media
Buzzfeed: A new home for research?
Jeff Knezovich shares his experience using the online news portal Buzzfeed to share the latest research findings. For topics not usually at the front-and-centre, Buzzfeed provides a quick and easy way to bring people up to speed. Buzzfeed’s ‘splainer (short for ‘explainer’) format was very well received, with the post accessed ten times more than the PDF and research website formats. […]
Book Review: DIY Citizenship: Critical Making and Social Media, edited by Matt Ratto and Megan Boler
Contributors to this volume examine DIY activism, describing new modes of civic engagement that include Harry Potter fan activism and the activities of the Yes Men. They consider DIY making in learning, culture, hacking, and the arts, including do-it-yourself media production and collaborative documentary making. Brian D. Loader is impressed by this exciting and innovative read. This review originally appeared on LSE Review […]
With Twitter’s poor signal-to-noise ratio, should social academia look to less corporate and more localised networks?
Social media platforms have become primary means for scholars to reach public audiences, but are scholars becoming overly reliant on sub-optimal corporate networks? With Twitter for example, it’s becoming harder to sift through the stream to find the really good stuff. Kris Shaffer is hoping others will join him in writing in more open, more user-controlled domains, as well as in […]
“I only come here for the comments” – Exploring the controversy of post-publication peer review.
The journal publishing model has long been criticised for being out of touch with modern, online communication trends. In the age of rapid-fire discussion, what hope is there for sustained, productive, peer review? Andy Tattersall looks at the shortcomings and opportunities of post-publication review online and picks apart the differences between reviewing, discussing and commenting in a scholarly context. This […]
What makes a successful research project blog? Forums for generating ideas fare better than sharing final results.
Coordinating a research project blog has many benefits, but it can lead to some difficulties in practice. Pat Thomson reflects on the types of project blogs in her experience worked better than others. The ones aimed at developing ideas and connecting with external partners were very useful. But the presentation of core findings were a concern to some funders. Furthermore, when does […]
From Attention to Citation: What are altmetrics and how do they work?
Scholarly and social impacts of scientific publications could be measured by various metrics, including article usage, Mendeley readership and Altmetric scores, etc. But what is the relationship amongst the different metrics? Previous studies show there is low correlation between altmetrics and citation, but how do altmetrics compare to other metrics? Xianwen Wang and his colleagues recently conducted a study to answer this […]
Five recommendations for using alternative metrics in the future UK Research Excellence Framework
Although many are excited by the possibilities for using alternative metrics to supplement research assessment, others are concerned about the ease with which the figures can be gamed. It is clear that there is already gaming within traditional citation impact metrics in peer reviewed journals and without quality control mechanisms, social media metrics would be susceptible to the same. Mike Thelwall […]
Survey finds correlation between strength of scientists’ political beliefs and social media use for sharing research.
Sara K. Yeo, Michael A. Cacciatore, Dominique Brossard, Dietram A. Scheufele, and Michael A. Xenos conducted a survey of tenure-track scientists on their use of social media for science-related purposes, their attitudes toward such use, and their political ideology. They found that the stronger the scientists’ political beliefs, the more likely they were to use Facebook or Twitter to talk about their work. On […]
Altmetrics can signal flows of information for paths in scholarly communication not yet mapped.
Research metrics are currently being debated across the UK. With last week’s 1AM conference discussing alternative metrics and this week’s In metrics we trust? event as part of the Independent Review of the Role of Metrics in Research Assessment, the uses and misuses of metrics are under close scrutiny. Cameron Neylon reports back from last week’s altmetrics conference and looks at the primary motivations and […]