The possibilities and perils of academic social networking sites
| Pages | 282-294 |
| Published date | 11 April 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-10-2015-0327 |
| Date | 11 April 2016 |
| Author | Ann E Williams,Melissa A. Woodacre |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval |
The possibilities and perils of
academic social networking sites
Ann E. Williams and Melissa A. Woodacre
Department of Communication, Georgia State University,
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is twofold: the first aim is theoretical –to review extant literature
on academic social networks, while considering current limitations and potential avenues for future
research; the second objective is practical –to introduce an illustrative comparison guide that
researchers can use to identify and distinguish between the functionalities of popular academic social
networking sites (ASNSs), including Academia.edu, Mendeley.com, ResearchGate.net, Zotero.org, and
Google Scholar.
Design/methodology/approach –The review of research is descriptive and conceptual.
Findings –The overarching outcomes of the review suggest that research on academic social
networks falls into two primary arenas –promises (i.e. potential benefits to the academic community)
and perils (i.e. reservations expressed by scholars). The authors recommend that a greater focus on the
unique characteristics and utilities of specific sites and a more robust understanding of scholars’use
preferences and practices is warranted in future and ongoing research.
Originality/value –This is the first review of ASNSs to provide comparative descriptions for
scholars to utilize when making decisions about adoption, use, and research.
Keywords Social media, Social networks, Academic social networks, Higher education,
Academia.edu, Mendeley.com, ResearchGate.net, Zotero.org, Google Scholar
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
Digital technologies and social networks serve essential functions in job sectors
throughout the United States and globally. Yet, when compared with other global
institutions, higher education has been comparatively slow to adopt digital social
networking into organizational practice. The primary purpose of this paper is to
provide an overview of current research on the adoption of digital social networking
sites among those working in higher education, while highlighting primary themes,
current limitations, and directions for future research.
The review suggests that dominant trends in current research on social media in
higher education ultimately revolve around two recurring themes: first, potential
benefits to the academic community; and second, reservations expressed by scholars.
We propose that future areas of research focussing on scholars’academic social
networking site (ASNS) preferences and use patterns will benefit extant scholarship in
this domain, and we introduce a descriptive comparison guide that researchers can use
to identify and distinguish between the functionalities of some of the most popular
ASNSs, including Academia.edu, Mendeley.com, ResearchGate.net, Zotero.org, and
Google Scholar.
Review
Embraced for their utility in business environments, social media outlets are now
becoming increasingly prevalent in higher education. Today, many different academic
groups and individuals use multiple different forms of social media to create an online
Online Information Review
Vol. 40 No. 2, 2016
pp. 282-294
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/OIR-10-2015-0327
Received 15 October 2015
Revised 15 October 2015
Accepted 9 November 2015
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
282
OIR
40,2
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