An Exploratory Study of Social Media Use and Management by Nursing Journals

Abstract

Social media applications are growing across the globe to bring new knowledge and information to target audiences. The use and management of social media in nursing journals have yet to be investigated on a large scale. This cross-sectional study was the first to explore the management of social media and the role of social media editors at nursing journals. Seventyfive nursing journals have pioneered social media as platforms for knowledge dissemination. Almost 51% of nursing journals from this sample are now using social media editors or a designated person to manage online applications, promote journal contents, and increase journal reach.

Social media and journals: Suggested best practices for nursing editors, authors, readers

“…Their primary responsibility is to post messages to social media applications, such as Twitter and Facebook, to disseminate content from the journal and encourage engagement with the journal. 4 Social media editors should have technical knowledge of the various social media applications, including their general operations, what services each provides and how privacy and security are handled. They also need to have knowledge of and be familiar with the content being published by the journal.…”

“…A social media editor or manager has multiple responsibilities providing oversight for various channels and monitoring responses. Their primary responsibility is to post messages to social media applications, such as Twitter and Facebook, to disseminate content from the journal and encourage engagement with the journal 4 …”

“…Social media promotion may help ensure evidence reaches healthcare professionals for timely use in improving care 2 . However, information on how journal editors, authors and readers choose and use social media is limited 3,4 . We would like to propose some guidance for initiating, managing, and evaluating the impact of social media for nursing journals (editors), authors and readers.…”

The Impact of Visual Abstracts Compared to Automated Tweets on Social Media in Otology & Neurotology

“…Additionally, many research journals have adopted social media platforms to disseminate medical research. In a recent study, 75 nursing journals were found to utilize social media, and 51% of those journals were using social media editors (3).…”