Twitter and Scientists: A Love Story

It is no secret that Twitter has somehow caught up with - if not replaced - traditional media. That is why, if there is one place that scientists, scholars, and researchers privilege for their communication, it is Twitter.

Why is Twitter so useful when it comes to connecting with peers and the general public, sharing papers, discussing research and communicating with both individuals and organizations? How should scientists optimize their use of this essential social platform?

In this two-part article, we unveil the science behind Twitter, and why you should be using it too.

Every scientist should use Twitter: Part 1 - Why?

Twitter and science today

Today, Twitter has become a must in the scientific landscape. In a survey conducted by Nature questioning 3 500 researchers around the world, about 13% of scientists and engineers said that they used Twitter on a regular basis. The survey being released in 2014, there is no doubt the proportion of researchers using and investing this social media has increased.

Twitter, used in a professional context, proves to be much more interactive than other social media like Facebook, Linkedin or ResearchGate, which are profile-based networks. Scientists mainly use Twitter to follow discussions on research-related issues, comment on research that is relevant to their field, share links to authored content and post work content.

How Twitter impacts scientific production

Citations and publications

But how does Twitter really impact scientific production, ie. citations, and publications? The Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR), after a three-year studyof the journal’s articles’ relative success in both Twitter and academic worlds, found that highly tweeted articles were 11 times more likely to be highly cited than less-tweeted articles.

Many scientists do not put efforts in disseminating their results after the publication of a paper. But a tweet - when well written - can lead to a tremendous impact.

In the study, 75% of highly tweeted articles were also highly cited. Tweets can thus predict and lead to highly cited articles within the first 3 days of the article publication; that is how important it is to share research and articles on Twitter.

Altmetric

Sharing content on Twitter is a must, but so is following up on one’s own statistics with data such as altmetrics. Altmetrics emerged a few years ago, are now well spread in academic institutions and are used to evaluate the impact of the individuals.

For example, the data science company Altmetric tracks a range of sources to capture and collate conversations about scholarly content happening online every day, helping scientists to monitor and report on the attention surrounding their work. The Altmetric Attention Score indicates the amount and reach of the attention an article has received.

If you are not already familiar with altmetrics, here is an introductory video:

Why are Altmetrics so important in relation to Twitter, you might ask? A study published in PeerJ-Life & Environment found that the Attention Score of science communication, including Twitter activity, was positively correlated with citation rates, demonstrating that maximizing citations does not require publishing in the highest-impact journals.

Know that your activity on Twitter - along with other social media - will be taken into account to evaluate your profile on Altmetrics. Increasing research exposure can thus be made through social media engagement along with traditional scholar activity.

How Twitter impacts scientific dissemination

Twitter can also be used to reach broader audiences. Indeed, in a recent study, Facets highlighted the fact that tweeting academic scientists had the potential to disseminate scientific information widely to non-scientific audiences (civil society, general public…). By identifying events and their participants, you can increase and diversify your network and outreach.

For example, the EU-funded project PneumoNP used Twitter to communicate during events about their project advancements to a larger audience interested in the subject of antibiotic rejection.

⚡️ Thanks to @CICbiomaGUNE for organizing “PneumoNP session at the Molecular Imaging Workshop 2017” par @PneumoNP cc @incorregibletas https://t.co/27XiaoxOJU

— PneumoNP project (@PneumoNP) November 24, 2017

Following « World Days » in your own field of interest is another means to identifying and approaching people in that particular field, with a more « general public » kind of approach.

On Friday 28 September, ESRIN, ESA’s establishment in Frascati, Italy, joins hundreds of research centers throughout Europe in opening its doors to the general public for European #ResearchersNight. Details and registration: https://t.co/wuuUnGbYF3! pic.twitter.com/ejBVKWnNju

— ESA (@esa) September 21, 2018

Bluenod is also very useful to produce maps of interactions and networks, especially during events or conferences. This tool can also help identify the type of audience you usually communicate to.

3eme jour du #sft2018 au @CHUdeToulouse avec @paristxgroup @sftjuniors @chourfette @alexandreloupy @yassingva via @Bluenod: https://t.co/7Yl8OcvJob
Ca parle : #transplantation of #kidney and #liver, #immunology , #individuality. A suivre aussi #SFTof ! pic.twitter.com/AxL1745txF

— KTD-innov (@KTDInnov) December 6, 2018

Now that we have unveiled some of the science behind Twitter, let’s have a look at how you should use Twitter to optimize your communication impact in the second part of this article: « Every scientist should use Twitter: Part 2 - How? ».

Every scientist should use Twitter: Part 2 - How?

How to use Twitter as a scientist: a quick guide

In the first part of this article, we saw how scientists approach Twitter as a new dissemination channel in order to follow discussions on research-related issues, comment on research that is relevant to their field, share links to authored content and post work content. Now, let’s have a look at HOW to optimize your Twitter use as a scientist.

How does Twitter work?

As a person (or an organization), you manage an account and post messages (under 280 characters) that can include images, links, and videos. In these “tweets”, you can tag other accounts by using @ (mentions) and keywords # (hashtags). You can connect to other users accounts and they can to yours; this action is called “follow”. The posts from the followed users will appear on a timeline. By default, they are public and anyone can comment, like and republish - or “retweet” - your posts. As Twitter can both promote individuals (personal branding) or companies/labs (marketing), make sure this is clear in your account description.

If this sounds a little too theoretical, have a look at this « Introduction to Twitter » video made by social media manager tool Hootsuite.

Now let’s see in detail how scientists should use Twitter for the most effective results.

Who you should follow

When developing your network, you should connect with “influencers”. Connecting with these key actors will help you increase the impact of your communication efforts. Don’t panic: Twitter can help you identify these key people or organizations related to keywords or topics you are interested in.

To start building your network, Nature’s blog recommends picking someone you know in person (colleague, journalist, organization…) or a scientist whose work you admire, and browsing their following list for people to add to yours. Then, you should have a look at who those people are following as well. If you really do not know where to start, get inspired with the list of « Twitter’s Science Stars » curated by Science Mag.

You can also subscribe to public lists curated by people on Twitter. These lists gather tweets from a specific theme, keyword or person in a single feed, making it much easier for you to read and share. For example, the European Physical Society created 3 different lists: Events, Physics, and Physicists.

By following these lists, you will have access to already curated accounts related to a single topic.

If this seems like too much work and time spent looking for accounts, the tool Bluenod has a great feature which allows you to add multiple accounts to your Twitter lists in one click.

How many followers you need

Now that you follow a qualified network, you should, in turn, develop a qualified audience for the content that you share. The general rule in Twitter is that when you follow someone, they will follow you back, which enables newcomers to build their network from scratch. But how many followers is the right amount?

A study from Facets highlights that scientists with fewer than 1 000 followers are mostly tweeting to their own kind: an average of 60% of their followers are fellow scientists. But above that threshold of 1 000 followers, the follower type becomes more diverse and includes research and educational organizations, media, non-scientific members of the public as well as decision-makers (politicians, etc).

The authors also say their findings support the view that building audiences on Twitter and reaching nonscientists requires persistence and effective strategies, such as posting images with tweets. Therefore, tweeting regularly has the potential to disseminate scientific information widely and should encourage scientists to invest in building a social media presence for scientific outreach.

What content you should share

Now that you have an established community, you should try your hand at sharing diverse content.

You can even start public conversation tweets by tagging another account in order to ask a question or comment on something they may have posted. Your tweet should generally link to a paper, an event, a book or dataset with a scholarly identifier.

If you want to turn your latest paper into great content to share, you can contact Science Explainers. They specialize in creating highly engaging content based on your expertise and will help you disseminate your research.

A general rule of thumb is also to keep your Twitter active. Try to engage with your community at least a few times a week. No need to prepare long blog-posts, a simple favorite or retweet will do the deed.

Hashtags and mentions

When sharing content, remember to use a hashtag (#) relating to the theme of your content. Hashtags are great for cross-referencing content, as well as creating natural SEO. Also, with these hashtags, you can create specific lists where all your articles will be referenced.

For example, when sharing your latest paper about kidney transplantation, you can use the following hashtags: #transplantation #kidney #graft.

+40% deaths due to #Kidney diseases in the US. #Healthcare #alert cc @Kidney_Research @KidneyBlog @KidneyFund @mike_mitt @ParisTxGroup https://t.co/7KWx2hj7Anhttps://t.co/yKrESPsg3l

— KTD-innov (@KTDInnov) January 20, 2019

Remember to regularly monitor hashtags that are relevant to you to stay up to date.

The Nature blog also suggests creating meaningful and beneficial connections when starting conversations with others.

For example, you can 1. ask a question, 2. retweet someone’s question to your network to help them (and you) to get an answer and 3. reply to someone’s question.

Or 1. offer a tool/resource to the community, 2. reply to a tweet by offering advice or testimony and 3. promote someone else’s work.

For example, if you think New Scientist should have a look at your latest research paper, you can speak to them directly and mention them in your tweet by including their handle @newscientist.

3 moments when you should take the time to tweet

We know what you are thinking: you already have a tight schedule on a daily basis. When will you find time to take care of your social media?

Here are 3 moments when you should take time to tweet:

• When you start your workday, take a few minutes in the morning before all your other tasks to scroll through your Twitter feed. Share and retweet content that can be of interest to you and your community, and engage in conversations with your fellow users;
• When you publish a scientific article or even a blog post, take a few minutes to share it on Twitter with a direct link;
• Be active on Twitter during events. Since you will have time to listen to conferences and chat with fellow scientists, why not take a little time to tweet as well?

If you do not have time, there are several great social media management tools you can use to program and publish tweets: Crowdfire, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck (free), Buffer or Dlvr.it among others.

Using Twitter during events

Events are an important part of any scientist, scholar or researcher’s professional life. That is why the way you approach events on Twitter should mirror the way you approach them in real life. You spend time exchanging with your peers after an interesting talk? Exchange the same way directly on Twitter and increase your online activity during events.

Here are a few useful tips that will make your presence on events (and Twitter) more impactful:

• 30 days prior to the event, tweet that you will be at the event;
• Connect with organizers a few days prior to the event
• Announce your arrival at an event by using the # of that event;
• Participate in conversations on during the event;
• Mention speakers during their talk;
• Make a post after the event highlighting the points of interest.

Know that with Twitter, you can also follow live conferences that you are unable to attend, whilst still interacting, which is a great time-saver.

Advertise on Twitter

Did you know that you can also use Twitter as an advertising platform? Advertising on Twitter can considerably increase your content impact and touch a very qualified audience. You can target the right people and communities to push your content towards and have a great ROI.

At Science Explainers, we have done the job of targeting, via ads, communities that we have segmented and categorized. That is how we have established effective dissemination strategies for scientific communication. For more information on our « Dissemination Offer: Twitter lists for Science and Medical Targets », visit our dedicated pageor contact our dissemination strategy manager.