Using social media to enhance your research

profile

Dr Helen Dixon

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TweetsWikipedia

BlogsComments

Likes

Shares

Views

Downloads

ClicksReddit

Figshare

CitationsAltmetrics

ResearchGate AcademiaImpactstory

Google Scholar

How can you make sure that your research gets noticed and disseminated online?

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https://socialmediaqub.wordpress.com/2016/03/01/how-to-get-your-research-noticed-online/

1. Establish a strong ONLINE profile

The name of the game is to present oneself, via one’s tweets, posts, likes, comments, and shares, in the light in which one aspires to be viewed. http://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/foucault-and-social-media-the-call-of-the-crowd/

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Where should you start?

Introduction to social media for researchers

ORCID“open, non-profit, community-based effort to provide a registry of unique researcher identifiers and a transparent method of linking research activities and outputs to these identifiers”http://orcid.org/

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Impactstory“open-source, web-based tool that helps scientists explore and share the diverse impacts of all their research products—from traditional ones like journal articles, to emerging products like blog posts, datasets, and software.” 

https://impactstory.org/

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2.Make your

research accessibl

ehttp://libguides.qub.ac.uk/openaccess

As an academic you have information and expertise to share

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@HelenDixon10

BLOGGING can help you reach a broader audience and establish your reputation as an experthttps://socialmediaqub.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/5-questions-to-ask-yourself-before-starting-a-blog/

@HelenDixon10

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Consider making all the products of your research accessiblePresenta

tions Posters

Datasets

Visual content

Code Media

figshare

“repository where users can make all of their research outputs available in a citable, shareable and discoverable manner”

http://figshare.com

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3. Create SHAREABLE contentHow can you make your research more engaging?

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Relevant imagery can make your research information more shareable

Use diagrams to translate findings into a format suitable for non-academic as well as academic audiences

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Use data visualisation or infographics to present your findings in a succinct and innovative manner

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Storytelling is an excellent way to add shape and meaning to your data and convey the potential impact of your findings @

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4. Track your reach

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Google Scholar and AlertsUse My Citations in Google Scholar to keep track of citations and compute citation metricsAccess via My Citations at https://scholar.google.co.uk/ You can make your profile public, so that it appears in Google Scholar results when people search for your nameSet up Google Alerts for your name or key words related to your research http://blog.impactstory.org/make-google-schol

ar-better/

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Altmetrics“the creation and study of new metrics based on the Social Web for analyzing, and informing scholarship”

http://www.altmetric.com/about-altmetrics/Complement existing bibliometrics such as impact factor and h-index

Alternative + metrics

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What can we measure?Usage• Views,

downloads, clicksCaptures• Bookmarks,

favoritesMentions• Blog posts,

comments, reviews

Social media• Likes, shares,

TweetsCitations• PubMed Central,

Scopus, patents

http://plumanalytics.com/learn/about-metrics/

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@HelenDixon10

Advantages over traditional metrics

•Real-time measures of attention and feedback

Allow data to be collated easily from

various sources

•Access to comments, location of users, networks

Can include contextual information

•Policy makers, practitioners, public

Measure attention from outside academia

•Blogs, videos, datasets, software…..

Incorporate a diverse range of ‘products of

research’

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Altmetrics do not replace citations!

Citations Altmetrics

Altmetrics may not correlate with citations as they reflect attention from audiences who may not necessarily cite

@HelenDixon10

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Value to research

Navigation and tracking•Enhance literature search•Stay informed of recent publications •Follow research trends based on up-to-date metrics of article impact•Identify potential collaborators

Assessment•Get timely feedback on how research has been received•Identify and assess wider engagement outside of academia•Support other impact measurements

Process•Benchmark and monitor article performance•Share metrics with others, e.g. funders•Use evaluations and feedback to inform future decisions and project design

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@HelenDixon10

Altmetrics enable scientists to see ripples generated by their research that might otherwise go unnoticed.Roberta Kwok 

http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7463-491a

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Limitations of altmetrics

Impact vs attention• Quantity does not equal quality

Lack of standards for reporting• Differences between scoring or rating systems

Vulnerability to gaming• System can be manipulated easily by automated bots

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Use altmetrics to identify success stories or to support other indicators of impact

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Altmetric.com

Altmetric for librarians

“track and analyse the online activity around scholarly literature”• Policy documents• Mainstream media• Blogs• Online reference

managers• Peer-review forums• Social media• Wikipedia• YouTube• Publisher download data

Score is based on the quantity and quality of posts

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Using altmetrics to enhance your profile

Share your successes on your profiles and Twitter!

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Altmetric Bookmarklet

Using the Altmetric Bookmarklet

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5. Nurture your network

Engaging with the right people

•Engage with stakeholders early and keep them informed•Identify blockers and try to address their concerns

Analyse stakeholders

•Who plays a significant role in the stakeholder community?•Who already has an established online presence & network?

Encourage influencers

•Use social media to reach out to diverse groups•Maintain communications to nurture key relationships

Build networks

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@HelenDixon10

Knowledge

exchange

2-way dialogue

Informal learning

Timely feedbackNetworkin

g

Use social media to engage with stakeholders

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@HelenDixon10

How can you incorporate social media into your knowledge exchange strategy?

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Doing it right!Discuss your ideas with your supervisor

Read the University’s Social Media Policy

Respect copyright and link to or cite sources

Respond to comments and Tweets

Remain professional at all times!

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Further resources•Introduction to social media for researchers•How to get your research noticed online•Social media for researchers•Strategies to Get Your Research Mentioned Online

•Using Twitter™ to Drive Research Impact: A Discussion of Strategies, Opportunities and Challenges

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