Using social media for

research impact

Dr Helen Dixon

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TweetsWikipedia

BlogsComments

Likes

Shares

Views

Downloads

ClicksReddit

FacebookCitations

Altmetrics

In order for there to be impact, there must first be knowledge exchange

How can we make research information easily accessible?

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Knowledge

exchange

2-way dialogue

Informal learning

Timely feedback

Networking

We can use social media to facilitate knowledge exchange by using it to engage with stakeholders

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By using data visualisation and storytelling, we can make research information more shareable and translate outputs into a format suitable for non-academic audiences

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By making research information easily accessible online, we can make researchers, institutions and funders identifiable as the contributors to specific research outputs

@HelenDixon10

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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, clicks

Captures• Bookmarks, favorites

Mentions• Blog posts, comments,

reviews

Social media• Likes, shares, Tweets

Citations• PubMed Central, Scopus,

patents

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

Altmetrics

Academic significanc

e

Public attention

Professional impact

Policy influence

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Advantages over traditional metrics

• Real-time measures of attentionAllow data to be

collated easily from various sources

• Access to comments, location of users, networks

Can include contextual information

• Policy makers, practitioners, publicMeasure 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

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Value to researchNavigation

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•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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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 altmetricsImpact 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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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/

30 day free trial - $60 per year

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Altmetric

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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Altmetric Bookmarklet

Using the Altmetric Bookmarklet

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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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Google ScholarUse Google Scholar Citations 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 namehttp://blog.impactstory.org/make-google-scholar-better/

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

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Using altmetrics to maximise impactEstablish a professional online profile and researcher ID

Research the altmetrics that are currently being used in your area

Find out what altmetrics are available for your publications and other products of research

Incorporate altmetrics in your CV and online profiles• ResearchGate, Academia.edu, LinkedIn, Blogs, Web pages

Share your successes on your profiles and Twitter!

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Involving 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

relationshipsBuild

networks

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Developing a research impact culture

Ensure researchers have up-to-date online

profiles

Share details of impact

activities with images/video

Simplify recording of

impact activities

Encourage sharing of

good practice across

University

Provide appropriate training and

support

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Further reading•How to get your research noticed online•PLoS Altmetrics Collection•Altmetric mentions and the communication of medical research

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

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