Social media can help scientists become better researchers, and assist their careers, contrary to the ideas of many researchers, according to a new study.
Scientists are said to need to "publish or perish," meaning that researchers who do not announce their findings in journals are often forgotten by peers. Those who are more frequently published in these journals are more likely to be invited to participate in new studies and research.
Many science researchers are reluctant to publish news of their findings on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media, afraid that such actions could distract from scientific discourse. However, a new study shows the scientific impact of new research can be increased through traditional news exposure, as well as social media.
"Most importantly, being mentioned on Twitter amplifies the effect of interactions with journalists and other non-scientists on the scholar's scientific impact," Xuan Liang of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and others stated in an article announcing the results of their study.
The role of social media in announcements of scientific discovery has triggered debate among researchers since the earliest days of the internet. However, discussion became more serious as traditional media outlets began to close up at the turn of the century.
"With recent downsizings at newspapers, magazines, and broadcast outlets, there are now fewer full-time science writers and less space or time for serious, in-depth reporting. The Internet does offer new, nontraditional outlets, but it is still unclear whether it can successfully replace newspapers in making science news accessible to a broad general audience," Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, wrote in 2006.
Tenure-track faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were polled about their use of social media in communicating scientific ideas. The survey discovered that those faculty who reported being interested in politics - regardless of affiliation - were more likely than others to take advantage of social media. Twitter was more popular than Facebook for distributing information, among the subjects polled. Researchers believe the micro-blogging Web site is considered to be more "professional" than Facebook, which respondents perceived as more personal.
Twitter and other social media sites appear to be filled with readers wanting information on new scientific discoveries. On June 20, 2012, news of the discovery of the Higgs boson was the top-trending story on the Web site.
ResearchGate, Academia.edu, and other social media sites developed specifically for scientists are also becoming more popular, the survey found. Nearly half of the respondents - 49 percent - say they regularly visit such sites.
Research into the role Twitter and other social media plays in the development and dissemination of science to the public was published in the journal Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly.
