Monday, August 27, 2018

Scientist embracing social media from traditional research communication and dissemination to embrace social media: Are they realist or have they abandoned elitism?


Roneka Muhammed
PhD Student, College of Nursing
University of Utah


Communication of science is multilayered

Communication of science is multilayered and must be tailored according to the desired audience. For the purpose of this blog post consider two distinct audiences: Scientist and non-scientist. The spectrum of the documentation of science communication with different forms of media is broad and it is necessary to pay attention to the pulse of the shift of public attention.

Traditional methods of research communication and dissemination

The traditional methods of research dissemination include publications in peer-reviewed professional, technical and academic journals. Other publications like books, research reports, conference papers, news letters and research forums are also classical methods of the way that research scientist disseminate research data. These traditional methods offer low information accessibility to the lay person. They are aimed only toward the scientific community as an audience.

The scientific community’s responsibility to laymen

In this digital age the world is becoming smaller. Although laymen do not have the training nor capacity to discern good from bad science, nor what a quality research article should entail. The science is neither visible nor transparent. Scientist bear the burden of fundamentally looking at results and determining whether research study designs, analysis appropriation and assertion of reproducibility. We must find novel ways for scientist to engage and communicate with non-scientist in the world community.

Communication of and dissemination of research and the relationship with technology

Chronology of the history of the change in the methods of the communication and dissemination has followed alongside of advances in technology and communication. A paradigm shift from traditional forms of publications that began in the mid-1970’s with the emergence electronic journals. In 1983 when the Academic American Encyclopedia was published in a CD-ROM. The introduction of the world-wide-web made electronic publishing more popular. Several traditional newspapers launched online versions in 1996. In this present time social media forums, open access formats, the media and electronic press, post-publication peer-review, and on-line reference managers make research more accessible to the layman as an audience.

The application of social media in research

Social media is the most common form of emerging information, communication, and internet application use. According to Cann, Dimitriou, and Hooly in their publication Social Media: A guide for researchers, applications for research include identification of knowledge and more access to knowledge that was formerly nonvisible to non-scientist. They also noted quality assurance of knowledge as a significant application.

Tangible examples of ways to certify and make research data available to the public using media

There are novel ways for scientist to disseminate research being explored. Pre-publication, which is posting an article on-line with a set comment period to allow comment and critique. The authors would then be given opportunity to edit with the publication house maintaining the authority to accept or reject the article with weight given to feedback received from the public. Another interesting discussion is in the experimental stages. With this method the focus is videotaping and publishing the media in an on-line platform. The public and scientific entities can see the experiment being performed. Researchers are vulnerable to public comment about rigor and adherence (or non-adherence) to the proposed methods. This latter method may help the general public better understand what scientist do because the would have access to the written proposal and the visual aid to follow.

A word about Predatory Publications

Predatory publications publish articles with little or no reviews in exchange for charging the author a monetary fee. The editors of these publications sometimes have perverse incentives because they are volume motivated. Resulting in a high acceptance rate and lower quality articles. These publications may be very attractive to new academic faculty members as they have incentive to maximize their number of citations to show that they are having an influence in the science of their discipline. In contrast, there are a number of on-line and open source publications that are reputable. These publications utilize the traditional blind reviewer journal review process. The quality of the articles presented in these publications are considered to be of high quality.

Benefits of using social media to communicate and disseminate research

The increase in sharing and visibility of science would increase the value of science in public and political arenas. Networking, feedback and discussion of the science would reduce the time that research results reach the stakeholders and the general public.

No substitutions

There is a place for both the traditional forms of research dissemination and new forms of dissemination through electronic and media forums. According to Dr. Mollie Cummins, at the University of Utah’s School of Nursing, “We as scientist new to use new media forms of communication of science, however, these new forms do not replace peer reviewed journals. Rather they are paired with peer reviewed journals to communicate science with the end user audience.”

Conclusion

Initially, my thoughts about scientist’s initial distaste and criticisms of social media and open-source forums had to do with elitism. A closer look at those in academia that are embracing these new formats of research communication and dissemination highlight the reality that the non-scientist are not equipped with the tools and understanding of how to decipher good science from bad science. Indeed, the burden of translation of what constitutes that distinction falls to scientist. It is a pragmatic way that we can use our influence and knowledge to help advocate for the advancement of research priorities to improve the human condition.




References

Cann, A., Dimitriou, K., Hooley. T. (2011) Social Media: A Guide for Reseachers. London:
Research Information Network.

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