The document discusses the use of social media for research communication. It provides three main reasons the author uses social media in their academic practice: for research, creativity, and engagement. It then lists various social media platforms and tools that can be used for different academic purposes, such as Academia.edu for creating profiles and uploading papers. The document also discusses lessons for researchers from policymakers, including that policymakers have limited time and prefer briefs and reports. It provides tips for communicating research for policy influence, such as using data visualization.

1. The use of
social media for
research communication
SciDev, London
3rd December 2015
David Girling
@socialmedia4D

2. Infographic Video

3. Social Media:
A Guide for Researchers

4. Digital Sociology: An Introduction
Deborah Lupton
These are the three main reasons I use social media as part of
my academic professional practice:
• Research: to let others know about mine, to learn about that
of others and to gather material to support my research.
• Creativity: using social media can be a great way to create
items to share with others quickly and easily and often in a
pleasing visual form.
• Engagement: social media offer an accessible way to engage
with other academics and non-academics.
http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/8621/2/Digital%20Sociology.pdf

5. Deborah Lupton –
Feeling Better Connected (2014)
• 711 academics
• Gift economy – sharing
• Global networks – horizontal connections /
serendipitous connections
• Twitter – Immediacy / sharing links
• Competition on time
http://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/arts-design/attachments2/pdf/n-
and-mrc/Feeling-Better-Connected-report-final.pdf

6. Deborah Lupton
Academia.edu – create academic profile / upload papers
LinkedIn – professional / groups / share news / blog
Google Scholar – create personal profile
Wikipedia – create and edit other people entries
Pinterest – curate images
Storify – collate material
Facebook – news items / blog posts / comments
Podcsts / Youtube – interviews / documentarties
Content Curation – Delicious / Stumbleupon / Bundlr
Quora – Q&A
SlideShare – upload powerpoint of Prezi
Referencing Tools – Mendeley / CiteULike / Evernote
Blogs
Twitter

7. Vince Cable (2003) - Policymakers
• Speed: they have to make decision fast
• Superficiality: they cover a wide brief
• Spin: they have to stick to a decision, at least
for a reasonable time
• Secrecy: many policy discussions have to be
held in secret
• Scientific ignorance: few policymakers are
scientists

8. Lessons from 2014: What Policy Makers
want from Researchers
• The need to blog more
• 27% of academic research accessed via social
media
• Policy makers have limited time and prefer
policy briefs and research reports
• The role of social media is growing but
uncertain

9. DIGITAL
SCHOLAR / JOURNALIST

14. How to communicate research for
policy influence
“The practice of data visualization is becoming
increasingly important; moreover it is changing the
way people receive and consume data….Data
visualisation allows simplifying, measuring,
comparing, exploring, and discovering data; it
transforms data into information and information into
knowledge.”
http://www.vippal.cippec.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Guia-05-serie-3-ingles.pdf

15. DFID Infographics

17. SEEDING

21. - Upload video to DEVYouTube on Friday 25th April
- Promote via @socialmedia4D @martinscott2010
@developmentuea @uniofeastanglia
- Schedule tweets over the weekend
- Promote on DEV LinkedIn and Facebook Page
- Send email round to DEV staff (John's round up?)
- Send email to Media Students and Media Alumni?
- Press Release?
- Blog Post?
- Contact various media people onTwitter e.g. BBCTrending, BBC Media Action, Media Matters,
Media Trust, One World Media, Global Media Forum, Beth Kanter, Guardian, Guardian
Professionals, Melinda Gates, Al Jazeera Stream,
- Co-ordinate tweets with Jason Toal and Sarah Menard in Canada and Diana
- Post to JISC Mail and any other LinkedIn Groups you know of

22. References
Alejandro, J (2010) Journalism in the Age of Social Media -
http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Journalism%20in%20the%20Age%20of%20Social%20Media
.pdf
BBC Academy – Social Media Skills - http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/skills/social-media
Cann et al (2011) Social Media: A guide for researchers
Ffrench-Constant, L (2015) Lessons from 2014: What policymakers want from researchers
Goodier, S and Czerniewicz (2012) Academics online presence: A four-step guide to taking control of your visibility
Knight, M and Cook,C (2013) Social Media for Journalists
Mollett,A, Moran, D and Dunleavy, P (2011) UsingTwitter in university research, teaching and impact activities
Overseas Development Institute (2013) Using social media: research communication and the development dialogue
Weyraunch, V, Echt, L and Arrieta, D (2013) How to communicate research for policy influence – OnlineTools

23. QUESTIONS

24. THANK YOU
David Girling
@socialmedia4D
http://social-media-for-development.org
d.girling@uea.ac.uk