Abstract

ResearchGate is currently one of the most important academic social networks, with more than 9 million users and 80 million documents. The platform offers not only important academic networking tools and job vacancies but also a wide range of bibliometric indicators. The objective of this work is to discuss the main advantages and disadvantages of these indicators paying special attention to the RG Score, the ResearchGate’s flagship indicator. Although ResearchGate provides features and bibliometric indicators of enormous potential in order to gather additional insights about the scientific and academic impact of authors’ production, their communication policies and some recent actions taken in the design, development, and dissemination of indicators generate serious doubts regarding their use for evaluation purposes. Finally, regarding the RG Score indicator, we conclude that it does not measure the prestige of researchers, but instead their level of participation in the platform.

Abstract

The analysis of data from social media and the measurement of the influence of its users are topics of increasing importance from different points of view, including the academic and the economic. In this paper we propose a reflection towards the creation of comprehensive algorithms for the measurement of influence through the analysis of data generated in the interactions of social media users, as well as the detection of new business models on the Net. To do so, the paper reflects on the concept of influence in social media and the role of information and communication professionals in its measurement and analysis, describes several instruments used to measure influence, and presents the project SocialEngagement, a web platform for the analysis and detection of referents, opinion makers and trends.

Abstract

Scientific social networks are a new meeting place for researchers and a major instrument for the promotion of knowledge. Their use is increasing in the scientific community, as they are practical tools to disseminate research results and to share knowledge. This paper examines the presence of 77 Spanish universities in the two main scientific social networks (ResearchGate and Academia.edu). The results show that, despite the continuous development that those networks are having worldwide, the number of Spanish members in them is considered insufficient and in some universities is almost anecdotal. These results should be the starting point for an action program of the universities to increase the membership of their academic staff in those networks, as part of their mission of disseminating knowledge.

Abstract

The expansion of social media forces the communication of science and scientific journals to adapt to this new environment. Previous studies and theoretical models such as Utaut and Utaut2 have proven that there is a relationship between the perception of future performance of technology (performance expectancy), the difficulty of use (effort expectancy) and the social influence to which the individual is subject, on the real use of technology, but there is still scarce research about the mechanisms that cause this effect. Starting with Utaut, the hypothesis is that there is an indirect conditional effect of the performance expectancy, the effort expectancy and social influence, over the actual use of social media in scientific journals, where the effect is driven through the intention of use and the size of the effect is moderated by gender and age. A survey was carried out on 300 editors of the top 20 in Social Sciences of the Google Scholar ranking. Confirming partially Utaut, the results of moderated mediation show that performance expectancy and social influence of editors affect the use of Facebook and Twitter, through the intention to use, but it is not the case of ResearchGate, Academia and LinkedIn. There is not enough evidence about the moderation of age and gender.

Abstract

A survey conducted among 5,500 professors and researchers from the three Galician universities received 463 answers. The results reveal a rise in popularity of professional and scientific digital social networks, but it also shows a lack of knowledge about them and inefficient use of them. Ninety percent of Galician university professors are present in a professional or academic network, but only 8.64 percent consider themselves experts. LinkedIn and ResearchGate have the largest number of members, although their average use is medium or low. Biomedical, engineering, and natural sciences scholars use more networks than the two previously mentioned; and social sciences and humanities scholars prefer Academia.edu. In total, 32.8 percent of the three universities’ scholars that answered the survey use social networks at least once a month. Social networks are used primarily to disseminate and follow publications, and, secondly, to get citations and improve reputation.