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Building buzz: (scientists) communicating science in new media environments

May 5, 2014 | Media and Technology

Public communication about science faces a set of novel challenges, including the increasing complexity of research areas and the erosion of traditional journalistic infrastructures. Although scientists have traditionally been reluctant to engage in public communication at the expense of focusing on academic productivity, our survey of highly cited U.S. nano-scientists, paired with data on their social media use, shows that public communication, such as interactions with reporters and being mentioned on Twitter, can contribute to a scholar‟s scientific impact. Most importantly, being mentioned on Twitter amplifies the effect of interactions with journalists and other non-scientists on the scholar‟s scientific impact. Our study provides one of the first comprehensive empirical examinations on the impact of various media outreach on scientists' academic career that combines survey data with data on social media (e.g., Twitter) usage. The results may eventually force academics to think more carefully about defining academic impact in a world of sites, which combine social media metrics with indicators of scholarly productivity to measure the broader impact of academic work.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Xuan Liang
    Author
    University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Leona Yi-Fan Su
    Author
    University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Sara Yeo
    Author
    University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Dietram Scheufele
    Author
    University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Dominique Brossard
    Author
    University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Michael Xenos
    Author
    University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Paul Nealey
    Author
    University of Chicago
  • Elizabeth Corley
    Author
    Arizona State University
  • Citation

    Publication Name: 13th International Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference
    Resource Type: Reference Materials
    Discipline: General STEM
    Audience: General Public | Scientists
    Environment Type: Media and Technology | Websites, Mobile Apps, and Online Media

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