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Social networking for scientists: an analysis on how and why academics use ResearchGate

Social networking for scientists: an analysis on how and why academics use ResearchGate PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the usage and utility of ResearchGate (RG), which is a social networking site where scientists disseminate their work and build their reputations. In a sample consisting largely of American and European academics, the authors analyzed the ways they use the site, what they thought about the site’s utility, and the effects of usage on career outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed an online survey approach to target scientists who have an active RG account. Scientists who were not users were also recruited in order to get a better idea of the reasons for their nonuse.FindingsMost academics who have an RG account did not use it very heavily. Users did not perceive many benefits from using the site, and RG use was not related to career satisfaction or informational benefits, but was related to productivity and stress.Research limitations/implicationsSystematic research is needed to explore positive and negative consequences of using professional social media in academia, especially productivity and stress. Findings also suggest that RG needs to increase user engagement.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to closely examine how and why people in academia use professional social media sites and whether usage leads to perceived benefits and effects on more general career outcomes. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Online Information Review Emerald Publishing

Social networking for scientists: an analysis on how and why academics use ResearchGate

Muscanell, Nicole; Utz, Sonja
Online Information Review , Volume 41 (5): 16 – Sep 11, 2017
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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
1468-4527
DOI
10.1108/OIR-07-2016-0185
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the usage and utility of ResearchGate (RG), which is a social networking site where scientists disseminate their work and build their reputations. In a sample consisting largely of American and European academics, the authors analyzed the ways they use the site, what they thought about the site’s utility, and the effects of usage on career outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed an online survey approach to target scientists who have an active RG account. Scientists who were not users were also recruited in order to get a better idea of the reasons for their nonuse.FindingsMost academics who have an RG account did not use it very heavily. Users did not perceive many benefits from using the site, and RG use was not related to career satisfaction or informational benefits, but was related to productivity and stress.Research limitations/implicationsSystematic research is needed to explore positive and negative consequences of using professional social media in academia, especially productivity and stress. Findings also suggest that RG needs to increase user engagement.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to closely examine how and why people in academia use professional social media sites and whether usage leads to perceived benefits and effects on more general career outcomes.

Journal

Online Information Review – Emerald Publishing

Published: Sep 11, 2017

References

  • Social capital: prospects for a new concept
  • Examination expertise sharing in academic social networks using graphs: the case of ResearchGate
  • Social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship