"I JUST can't see the point of doing research if no one is going to read it," says Simon Chapman, professor of public health and director of research at the University of Sydney.
A prolific researcher and writer - Chapman has published 406 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 17 books and key reports during his career - he has become something of a chart topper on the university's research e-repository, with three items in the most recent list.
And the reason for Chapman's new-found popularity? He has joined the world's 200 million strong army of twitterers.
"What's the point of research if no one reads it? So it's sensible to do what you can to let people know about it," he says.
Chapman first signed up to a Twitter account about a year ago and managed only five tweets, or messages, in the first nine months. But following conversations with journalist friends who regaled him with tales of their stories receiving enormous spikes in online hits if the link had been tweeted, he decided to embrace the new social media in his arsenal of awareness-raising tricks. It worked. Chapman chose three items to push through Twitter: a downloadable book on screening for prostate cancer (don't do it); a paper on how many times researchers refused offers to peer review (one in three); and a third survey on university policies and practices towards staff working in consultancies and positions outside the university (if they even exist, variable).
"There are over 6000 items on the e-repository and for quite a while my book on prostrate cancer was the No 1 item downloaded on the list.
"When I started tweeting the other two items, they also did quite well. All three have been in the top 10 since," he says.
Since it was released last October, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie? What Men Should Know Before Getting Tested for Prostate Cancer has sold 200 hard copies, but been downloaded 7000 times. And while Chapman doesn't ascribe all that success to Twitter, he says it has undoubtedly played a role.
"There is a certain reserve among academics who see doing things like Twitter as pushy and self-promoting," he says.
"But what is the point of doing research if no one is going to
read it? I'm in a middle-sized department of around 70 people, and I'm not aware of anyone else using Twitter. Academics have been slow coming to it, but having been a journal editor for 17 years I have long been appreciative of the relationship between publicity and interest.
"Every time we would put out a press release promoting a certain paper, hits would spike. The same is true on Twitter."
Of the 5999 other items in the e-repository Chapman says it appears most researchers simply put their work in and wait for people to find it on Google.
Simon Chapman's Twitter name is @SimonChapman6.
No comments:
Post a Comment