Librarians provide advice to researchers in areas like Reference Management Software (Endnote / Mendeley etc. ). Should we extend our support to using social media? I say, yes. I have written a guide for the researchers I support. A Guide to Using Social Media for Research Purposes [ https://lihnnclinicallibs.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/a-guide-to-using-social-media-for-research-purposes-by-matt-holland/ ]. What do you think? Are we moving into areas we shouldn't be in?
https://lihnnclinicallibs.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/a-guide-to-using-social-media-for-research-purposes-by-matt-holland/
Matt;
Congratulations on your guide! I think it is most needed as Social Media is becoming the preferred platform for most students. As such, We as researchers, have to make our work visible here so that students can have access to it readily.
Best regards,
Debra
Well done, Matt, for posing the question. Unfortunately, in some institutions, senior administrators are so focused on traditional esteem factors that they try to ignore social media. When I drafted our Library's Strategic Publishing Guidelines (now official), I ensured that I included a section on social media. There was some resistance but ultimately the section was retained ;-) My approach has always been one of "if you are concerned about something, then collate impartial facts" rather than just pretend that it does not exist.
Hi Katalin, thank you. Yes, when you mentioned Google Scholar I had to think about why I hadn't included it. I think the answer is that I thought that the other tools did the job better and would be better for researchers to use. However, the Google Scholar / Citation tool does include basic biographical data. I know from other discussions on RG that it is very popular because Google is so ubiquitous. The other good point is that it picks up more citations than any other tool from more sources and lesser journals, giving higher citation counts. It is hard to edit and keep up with though, I have more or less given up. Please feel free to reuse the content if you find it useful. BW Matt.
Hi Joanna, I agree with your point on social media. I think researchers need to have skills in promoting their work to ensure it has impact. Publishers may expect this. I saw a discussion on RG some time back about video abstracts which indicates the direction of travel. I also think that altmetrics and tools that provide alternatives to citation analysis like Plum Analytics, (organisations) Impact Story (individuals) are going to effect how Universities will view social media. BW Matt
Hi Katalin, I see your point, in promoting the use of social media we might be encouraging researchers to game altmetrics. I think you have to highlight the positive motivations, to create impact and raise awareness of your research. Citation counts can be gamed too. Ultimately, I think it's the responsibility of altmetrics to design impact measures that screen out gaming strategies. Personally, including DOI's in your social media communications would fall into the area of good social media practice rather than gaming. BW Matt
Hi Matt, I think for researchers who are isolated and working from homesuch as myself, social media networks provide a vital means of remaining current with the latest research in relevant fields. I am thinking about the use of quality networks such as ResearchGate in particular.
Hi Carrie, I agree. I work from home as well. Social networking is a great enabler to keep up to date and share ideas with virtual colleagues. BW Matt
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