Impact is coming - research impact and social media
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Workshop for #zegteens #letstalkscience - Summer School for Science Communication July 2016
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Impact is coming - research impact and social media
- 1. The cold steep Wall of Academia seems to have been guarded for many years now. Once in a while some find the cracks or hidden exits. But you still feel that you know nothing and that a scientist should always pay his debts. Despair no longer - help is at hand. Join me for this quest and discover how your research can make a difference for the realms of men. Learn who is friend or foe. Choose your weapons and awake the social dragon within you. Esther De Smet
- 3. 1. Wear your crest with pride 2. Explore other kingdoms 3. Tell a story as strong as Valyrian steel 4. Recruit worthy bannermen 5. Don’t become a White Walker 6. A scientist has a name 7. Unleash your dragons 8. Don’t lose yourself in the game 9. Cherish little birds 10. Attain the Iron Throne The man who fears losing has already lost. Arya Stark
- 4. A very small man can cast a very large shadow. Varys
- 5. Science is based on building on, reusing and openly criticising the body of scientific knowledge. Panton Principles Publish or perish Be visible or vanish
- 8. Knowledge also needed to be ‘socially robust' because its validity was no longer determined solely, or predominantly, by narrowly circumscribed scientific communities but by much wider communities of engagement comprising knowledge producers, disseminators, traders and users. Helga Nowotny , Peter Scott and Michael T. Gibbons - Re-Thinking Science: Mode 2 in Societal Context (2003)
- 9. For society • Improve effectiveness and sustainability of policy and activities by ‘third parties’ • Improve social cohesion and well-being • Enlarge economic prosperity and robustness • Improve quality of life and cultural wealth For science • Continuity of funding • Trust of citizens • Touchstone For you • Early stage feedback, improve focus/methodology • Relevance: importance, timing, scope • Participation • Personal skills
- 10. He who works with his door open gets all kinds of interruptions, but he can also occasionally get clues as to what the world outside is and what might be important. Richard Hamming (mathematician)
- 12. 1. Stasis 2. Trigger 3. The quest 4. Surprise 5. Critical choice 6. Climax 7. Reversal 8. Resolution 9. Discussion
- 17. Communication/PR Office Unit for Science Communication Research communication (incl. scholarly communication) Faculty communication officer Dedicated person within research group/department WHO’S THERE TO HELP YOU?
- 19. Website Repository: deposit & OA mandate Funding Training Network The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. Ned Stark
- 22. LINKEDIN FIGSHARE ACADEMIA.EDU GIT HUB MENDELEY ALTMETRIC SLIDESHARE GOOGLE SCHOLAR ORCID ZOTERO
- 25. What results come up about you? Are all results linked to your institution(s)? If the results are nothing to do with you, would that be obvious to someone else looking for you? (Goodier and Czerniewicz)
- 26. Do you have an easily accessible, comprehensive list of your publications online? Do your online profiles give a brief but comprehensive view of you as an academic? Do you want to use different profiles for different purposes? Are some services more suitable for your discipline than others? Are more of your colleagues using a certain service? (Goodier and Czerniewicz)
- 29. Example of an explanimation How far can Legolas see?
- 31. Status anxiety: should academics be using social media? D. Lupton Reaching out. Nature blog by Soapbox Science (7 June 2012)
- 32. “Papers mentioned on Twitter are more downloaded & cited than papers which are not.” Shuai (2011)
- 33. News items and editorial material exhibit the highest density of tweets, even exceeding citation density. Both citations and social media metrics increase with the extent of collaboration and the length of the references list. Social media cannot overcome citation delay
- 34. Weak correlation Attention ≠ Impact Yet another reputation economy?
- 35. What do you want to achieve by engaging with social media? Consider producing social media content as a normal part of your working life. Develop a sense of the advantages and limitations of each different platform. Be realistic about the time available to you. Know who can help you. Be aware of your digital footprint but don’t become paralysed by overestimating your visbility and the potential risks that come from this. Invest in visibility of your social media presence. Re-use content but adapt to your chosen tool. Get your timing and your story right. Have fun!
- 37. Short messages (tweets): 140 characters Follow and be followed Timeline or feed with tweets Hashtags & handles Tweet & retweet
- 39. Online collaboration: Scientists and the social network, Richard Van Noorden, Nature 512, 126– 129 (14 August 2014)
- 46. Your institutional affiliation Your research interests Other accounts you’re involved with Your personal interests Hashtags you contributed to An additional website Picture (incl. banner)
- 48. Typing numbers wrongly in hospitals can kill people. Understanding why it happens can help design better systems and stop it! Does UK learn from history in Middle East? Could it improve? Crucial research to avoid past mistakes & save blood & treasure Can we forecast average weather conditions months in advance? Sure. What about malaria? Yep. How? I killed a ton of chicken embryos and pulled out their eyes for months, just to find out that chicken eye neurons don’t like chemicals. Male baboons don't care about the symmetry of female baboon butts, but other females might. The key to coexistence between big cats and livestock farmers? One word: compassion #ShareMyThesis #TweetYourThesis @lolmythesis
- 49. Determine a strategy and stick to it Management of expectations: bio & content/activity to match Tweet ‘thickly’ and according to the rules Build a network and include influencers Social medium = interaction Authencity, politeness, integrity
- 51. Academic prestige Networking Real impact
- 52. @ResearchUGent @sterretje8 1. Wear your crest with pride 2. Explore other kingdoms 3. Tell a story as strong as Valyrian steel 4. Recruit worthy bannermen 5. Don’t become a White Walker 6. A scientist has a name 7. Unleash your dragons 8. Don’t lose yourself in the game 9. Cherish little birds 10. Attain the Iron Throne
Editor's Notes
- *** Line-up of recruits for the Wall *** Rank yourself according to the impact of your research on the realms of men
- You have all heard of ‘publish or perish’ but nowadays it is more a case of ‘be visible or vanish’. And although that might sound no better and even a little scary, you can turn this to your advantage. Especially when you consider that doing things out in the open should be a part of science. So your first lesson is to take pride in what you do as a scientist You have the power to change the world – even if it doesn’t seem that obvious to other or even to you. But with power comes great responsibility. So in your work try to be as open as possible. Share your ideas, results and data with the scientific community – and convince others to do so as well.
- Join me in spreading this new war cry! *** discussion on how the participants are already encouraged to be open or what actions they might take ***
- But it is not just about making a mark on science. Remember that there are other realms out there that need exploring.
- Being the warden of Castle Knowledge is an honourable duty but what exactly is this treasure you are sitting on or defending? Knowledge is ideally ‘socially robust’ which means it does not solely serves your small scientific family but also all the other families outside the gates of your keep. So get on your horse and explore other kingdoms, talking and listening to people on the way, staying at strange inns, getting lost – Always considering where you’re going and who you can help along the way.
- Why care about the impact of your research? Because there’s more to the world than your research.
- Open science is also about allowing society into your world and venturing into society yourself. Think about what you might do to make your research easily discoverable and accessible to other audiences besides your peers. Look at how other people outside the scientific and academic realm might influence your work and your attitude. What are the ways in which you can interact with them? How approachable are you? How can you be at the service of society?
- Storytelling is all about using the trick of engaging narratives when communicating about your research. It is something you should really invest in. It is our lesson 3.
- You must accept that science might not interest everyone. It even scares some people. Also remember that details important to you may not resonate with other people – even other researchers. Is there anything in your research which may though? When considering this question, be honest with yourself, and try to embody someone else who hasn’t spent years toiling over your niche subject area. So use age-old tricks of narrative. May and Watts (2012) describe an eight-art story structure: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-structure-a-story-the-eight-point-arc/ Resist the temptation of covering too much of your research. Don’t get bogged down in the details. Try to avoid unnecessary nuance. Maybe the 8-point arc is too heavy-handed for you? Start with at least finding that central image that people can connect with. Link: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2014/08/27/academic-storytelling-risk-reduction/ Rigorous researching and attention-grabbing storytelling are very different trades but that does not mean that they are mutually exclusive. By finding that point of connection in your research you’ll go a long way.
- Storytelling is essentially about touching the hearts and heads of your audience (in that order!): making them laugh or cry, inviting them to join you on your journey, challenging them to think. It’s about making them care so be authentic. It’s about making a lasting impression and letting your passion inspire them. It’s about bringing in visuals to add strength and imagination to your tale. In short: it’s about making an impact. *** Exercise: what is your central image? What is your story? ***
- https://youtu.be/2xCLCB51fBw *** let’s try ***
- In Lesson number Four we come to terms with the fact that everyone needs help and should surround themselves with worthy allies who bring added value to your science engagement through their expertise. You are not in this alone.
- In engagement and communication as in research it is important to build up a sturdy network. You only have so much time and energy so investing it wisely is key. Look for meaningful encounters – and not just the usual suspects. Think: who can help you have a bigger impact? As a PhD student it is important to have role models. Think who this might be for you.
- Identify partners in your quest starting within your own university: *** show of hands – who knows about/uses these? *** So make sure these people know about you, your expertise, and your engagement preferences/talents
- OUTSIDE YOUR ORGANISATION Also identify who else might benefit from your science engagement: from your research: general public and specific target groups from your communication about your research: (specific) media Interesting exercise: identify the stakeholders of your research (both positive and negative)
- But it is not enough to know the go-to people, the intermediaries. It also helps to know where the essential information is and what small actions can make a big difference. Some things you need to do yourself.
- We are halfway through our quest to attain the Iron Throne. We have learnt a lot about our own attitude and skills but it is now time to delve deeper into the tools that are at our deposal. Lesson 5 reminds us of the fact that when it comes to those tools it pays off to evolve and step into the future. So get with the times and don’t become a White Walker. Start with discovering your online identity and then caring about it and aim at becoming a ‘networked scholar’. Interesting resource: Goodier and Czerniewicz, http://openuct.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/Online%20Visibility%20Guidelines.pdf
- Writing for Research (March 2014) https://medium.com/advice-and-help-in-authoring-a-phd-or-non-fiction/are-you-an-academic-hermit-6d7ae5a0f16a *** Quiz about digital behaviour *** How many people looking for info online? 70% How many scholars without online contact details: 35% How many scientific papers are published each year? 1.8 million – this doubles every nine years! How many researchers think they should probably do more to promote their research online? 78% If researchers do use online media to make professional info publicly available, how many put data sets online? 15% (published) 7% (unpublished) (Both online survey Piirus September 2014) How much of Ghent Uni Biblio is open access? 30% What is the world’s largest non-scholarly referrer of DOIs? Wikipedia How many new Wikipedia articles per minute? 6 Most tweeted PLOS article 2014: Survey of Academic Field Experiences (SAFE): Trainees Report Harassment and Assault
- *** Quiz: academic social media networks and digital tools ***
- “Scientists have been harnessing the power of social media to fundamentally speed up the pace at which they are developing and sharing knowledge, both within scientific communities and with the general public (Bik and Goldstein, Ogden 2013). There is a growing diversity of “social ecosystems” that support the scientific and scholarly use of social media (Bar-Ilan et al. 2012). For example, scientists are using collaborative project spaces (Wikipedia, Google Docs, figshare, GitHub), blogs and microblogs (Research Blogging, Twitter), online content communities (YouTube, Mendeley, CiteULike, Zotero), and professional networking sites (Facebook, Academia.edu, LinkedIn, ResearchGate) to develop new ideas and collaborations that culminate in concrete scientific outputs.” (Darling 2011)
- “Central to your attitude as a networked scholar is your identity, and in this case we focus on your online identity - defined as ‘the extent to which others can identify you online as a scholar’. This is why it is critical to become aware of your online presence and to shape and maintain this presence.” So that is lesson six.
- digital footprint is your active contribution to and interaction with the online world digital shadow is content about you posted and uploaded by others, as well as automatically generated and collated content You should try and maximise the former and watch the latter, especially as it is difficult to control. The best way to drown out content about yourself that you may not like is to upload content of your choice. *** Google yourself *** It is also useful to do specific Google searches. You could start with Google Images, Google Videos, Google Books and Google Discussions. You might even set up some Google Alerts.
- Assessing and improving your online presence Let these questions guide you along. Tip: make sure you use the platforms that your university has on offer. They often got better SEO than individual initiatives. Number 1: keep your academic repository up to date and use this as your starting point. Also remember the world outside academia: it might pay off to create a LinkedIn profile in which you link to your repository. *** discuss with your neighbour ***
- Okay, now you seem ready to really unleash the dragons of social media
- There are many online tools available for disseminating your research and/or for interacting about science. The important thing is choosing the right tool for your specific goal. And then making it your own and giving it a natural place in your work and life so it does not feel like a chore. http://www.andymiah.net/2012/12/30/the-a-to-z-of-social-media-for-academics/ (starting in left-hand corner below) Website: not just profile page but also group pages with news items, dedicated project websites etc. LinkedIn: profile that helps you to connect outside academia Visual platforms: Flickr, Instagram (second largest socmed platform!) Pinterest (big in US!) - http://www.researchtoaction.org/2012/07/whats-all-the-interest-in-pinterest-how-can-it-be-used-for-academic-research-communication/ examples: https://www.pinterest.com/smithsonianscie/ and http://readwrite.com/2013/09/25/best-instagram-accounts-for-science-geeks In between visual and blog: Tumblr (bijv. http://medresearch.tumblr.com/ and http://oupacademic.tumblr.com/ but also http://wheninacademia.tumblr.com/ and http://wheninacademicresearch.tumblr.com/ and http://allmalepanels.tumblr.com/) Reddit Science and Quora Online Commenting Opinion pieces for all kinds of media SlideShare Wikipedia: huge audience, use your expertise to improve the world’s largest source of knowledge as a means to open up science: https://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2014/10/using-wikipedia-to-open-up-science/ Data visualisation Infographics: http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2014/08/11/the-power-of-pictures-how-we-can-use-images-to-promote-and-communicate-science/ > the importance of visuals (academic poster becomes infographic) Bijv. http://www.studiolakmoes.nl/projecten-database/zo-deelt-de-ambulancezorg-een-jaarverslag-vol-cijfers Twitter Facebook: http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/facebook-science-pages/ Online book reviews including popular books based on science: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/category/disciplines/media-studies/ Blog: separate, group, guest Ted talk (maybe start locally with TedX) – Scientists Popularizing Science: characteristics and impact of TED Talk Presenters (PLOSONE April 2013): “Presenters are predominantly male and non-academics. Although TED popularizes research it may not promote the work of scientists within the academic community.” Podcasts Youtube - Vimeo https://www.youtube.com/user/jmccorma1234/videos Explanimation: e.g. Crash Course Biology https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3EED4C1D684D3ADF > Choose your audience / Deliver in style / Stay focused / Get to the point / Be part of the community / Give the audience an anchor / Be a person not a company
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk2izv-c_ts
- For the sake of full disclosure we must also look at the challenges and pitfalls all this online presence and engagement activities bring with them. How do you mitigate these so that you don’t lose yourself in the game?
- There are solutions for some of these – or at least ways of coping with these issues. TIME: choosing, integrating it PLAGIARISM: tweeting or blogging ideas and new analyses can provide a ‘time stamp’ for ideas that are yours, establish ownership of particular topics COPYRIGHT: look into creative commons, if you’re uncomfortable or unsure – don’t, use pre-prints WRONG: set the record straight, be witty about it, know when to stop It is a nuanced story. Not everyone is a fan or naturally gifted or even at ease when participating in science engagement and/or social media. There might even be criticism of peers or mentors. Institutional rewards and incentives are lacking. Not everyone’s research is applied or sexy. There is also a worry that we might be evolving towards more of the same: Academic attention economy (cf. Kardashian Index) *** Why are not doing it? Why are you doing it? ***
- Now maybe you would like some scientific proof that it is all worth it? With the rise of online outreach by academics we also saw a rise in articles and papers about social media (eg. By 2014 2000 articles and 3000 conferences papers about Twitter)
- ALTMETRICS > An umbrella term for spectrum of social media-based metrics: often proposed as alternative to citation-based indicators And as a tool to measure the impact of science outside academia “Most studies show that, although citations and the new metrics are to some extent positively correlated, these correlations are very weak.” Quote from a recent and very interesting article by scientometricians concluding that at the most, social media metrics may function as complements to other types of indicators and metrics. Some more findings from this same article
- Also, questions are raised about a certain bias. A bias in topics: do social media only pay attention to the sex, drugs and rock and roll of science? A bias in broadcasters: social sciences and humanities are the most often found on social media platforms. Or is a matter of shouting the loudest? “Just like a taller, more powerful radio tower will boost a signal so it can be heard at a greater distance; it makes sense that more people will read a paper if the writer is active on social media. Of course, because we wrote it, we think it’s great that our paper has proved so popular, but we have to ask: in the future, will the highest quality papers be read most? Or will it be only those papers backed up by the loudest voices?” - Academic blogging is part of a complex online academic attention economy, leading to unprecedented readership, I. Mewburn and P. Thomson for LSE Impact blog (Dec 2013) Let’s wrap this discussion up with the four words scientists love to hear: more research is needed!
- http://markcarrigan.net/2015/10/26/my-tips-on-social-media-for-academics-in-the-times-higher/ Although it is a big investment and there are some definite challenges, there are great benefits to integrating social media into your research – not just as a way to communicate but also as a means to become a better scholar. Social media offers you the means to interact directly with a broader audience – often without ‘corporate interference’. Although it can be great fun and many of the social media look flighty (eg. half-life of a tweet is 18 minutes) it should not be taken lightly but approached in a strategic and professional manner. It’s all about finding the right balance: Not overthinking it but using it to your advantage Getting into the spirit of sharing and interacting while keeping focus in your own research and not losing yourself in procrastination Giving it a natural place in your time management and approaching it so you feel comfortable with it
- Twitter is a microblogging and social media platform that allows users to send short messages of up to 140 characters (including spaces). You ‘follow’ other Twitter users, which means that you subscribe to their updates and can see their messages or ‘tweets’ in your feed. Other Twitter users can also follow your messages, which means that you now have ‘followers’ and that your tweets are transmitted instantly to them.
- Twitter is an easy but worthwhile tool to start engaging about your research. These are some of the benefits: - Connect with peers and building a scholarly network. Quote: “It’s allowed me to open up new communities for discussions and increase the interdisciplinarity of my research.” (A network boost by M. Baker. Nature, 12 Feb 2015) > “virtual department of professional connections beyond your institution” Sharing and finding resources (think ‘open science’) Generating and refining ideas Honing writing skills: try building up a lucid argument in 140 characters! Reputation management (part of larger strategy in managing your digital footprint/shadow) Dissemination of your research. Don’t just tweet your new scientific articles but try to capture the attention of more people by making the content accessible. Public engagement and creating involvement: why not look for participants this way? And remember, there’s a lot of journalists and media outlets on there too… Jobs & prof. development: “Following institutions, companies and individuals on Twitter can offer clues about workplace culture and ongoing projects in a way that static website do not.” “Junior researchers are creating identities that don’t have to be routed through the principal investigator.” (A network boost by M. Baker. Nature, 12 Feb 2015) It is a great tool for conferences: Back-channel: capture content & provide feedback, share questions and resources Connecting and networking Virtual participation There is of course a big social element to it (especially for ECRs): Break isolation Look over the fence Find fellow victims Real-life scholar Sheer fun of it
- A) Initial tweet by Dr John Bruno, offering a new, unpublished finding for comment on Twitter B) A reply from a non-scientist, asking for non-technical explanation C) A reply from scientist Grantly Galland, who has relevant data to contribute to the project. The scientists strike a new collaboration.
- *** Exercise *** #sharemythesis: competition by British Library LOL my thesis: tumblr
- If you have been paying attention to all the previous lessons and are willing to put them to work, you’re ready finally claim your prize.
- ACADEMIC PRESTIGE Better understanding the impact of your research and describing it leads to more succesful grant proposals. Promoting your publications and work, increases the chance of people seeing them and citing them. Or connecting their research with yours. NETWORKING Reaching out might offer professional perspectives outside academia. Broadly communicating about your research creates opportunities for partnerships (and thus funding) to might have remained hidden. REAL IMPACT Sharing your research leads to more multidisciplinarity and more efficient innovation. Collaboration and coproduction brings real solutions to small and grand challenges. Putting your scientific passion on stage increases your standing as a public intellectual and establishes you as an academic expert. From my idealistic view, it simplies makes you a better researcher but it also makes sure that the general public and the powers that be keep supporting science and providing funding.