Could Twitter Help Move Scientific Research Forward?

First Posted: Sep 10, 2013 09:40 PM EDT
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Social media is constantly changing with all the technological advances seen throughout the world. A recent study by researchers at the University of Miami's Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy looks at how Twitter can affect new research.

Background information from the study shows that incorporating Twitter into different stages of a scientific publican can help to more quickly connect, facilitate and communicate with a larger, more diverse audience according to lead study author David Shiffman, a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami's Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy.

"Social media, which allows information to be shared instantly around the world, gives internet-savvy scientists the ability to drastically accelerate the pace of scientific communication and collaboration," Shiffman said via a press release, who was recently named one of the top biologists to follow on Twitter (@WhySharksMatter) by the Huffington Post, according to background information from the study. 

Though many scientists are skeptical regarding the use of Twitter for scholarly purposes, Emily Darling, another study author and a Smith Conservation Research Fellow at the University of North Carolina, believes it's just a matter of time before the social media trend is taken more seriously.

"Many scientists may think they don't have time for Twitter," Darling said, via the release "But a little effort can provide enormous value for communication and outreach. The solution is to just give it a try."

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More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Ideas in Ecology and Evolution

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