Post-publication promotion in rheumatology: a survey focusing on social media

Abstract

The use of social media platforms (SMPs) in the field of scientific literature is a new and evolving realm. The past few years have seen many novel strategies to promote engagement of readers with articles. The aim of this study was to gauge the acceptance, opinion, and willingness to partake in the creation of online social media educative material among authors. We conducted a validated and anonymized cross-sectional e-survey with purposive sampling among authors of the Indian Journal of Rheumatology journal over a cloud-based platform (SurveyMonkey). Descriptive statistics are used and values expressed as the number of respondents (n) against each answer. Of 408 authors, 102 responded. We found that a large majority (74) supported promotions on SMPs. Visual abstracts (81) were the most preferred means for promotion. A reasonable proportion (54) of the authors held the view that they could make these materials for themselves, with little guidance. However, currently only a few (47) were doing so. Awareness on social media editors in rheumatology was dismal (4). Citations were the preferred metric of article visibility (95), followed by altmetrics (21). These findings suggest that authors support article promotions on SMPs, although most do not promote their articles. Graphical abstracts are the preferred means of promotions. Further, the opinion on logistics is divided, calling for larger studies to understand the factors that need to be addressed to bridge the gap.

Preparing Infographics for Post-publication Promotion of Research on Social Media

“… 4 With many journals introducing infographics alongside articles, 48 their use for providing concise and practical information, attract audience attention and increase the visibility of items is likely to gain a greater foothold in the future. 1 2 3 4 …”

“… 1 Promotion of articles using infographics on social media platforms (SMPs) has the potential to provide rapid and effective dissemination routes for concise and practical information. 1 2 3 4 Besides, the visibility of articles on SMPs is an important measure of use and attention, known as Altmetrics. Wider dissemination among researcher community such as on Mendeley is known to translate into better Altmetric scores.…”

Social Media for Scholarly Communication in Central Asia and Its Neighbouring Countries

“…The use of infographics for public health advisories, newer and ever evolving guidelines in the pandemic period, rapid and wider dissemination of information, and post-publication promotion of published medical literature on social media is the new normal, with greater advancement into a digital era of medicine which has been furthered by the social distancing norms due to COVID-19. 26 27 An increased connectivity has led to movement such as Plan S and the Open Access Initiative, which are working towards making scientific literature widely and immediately available at zero costs to the readers to match the demands of the scientific community. 28 The Sarajevo Declaration has promulgated guidelines to improve of the quality of the scientific literature in the Mediterranean and Balkan regions.…”

Human touch in digital education—a solution

“…Meanwhile, virtual conferences, social media platforms and post-publication peer-review continue to contribute to information dissemination a collective learning experience [11,12]. Amid a surge in literature, it is also vital to avoid misinformation [13,14].…”