Use of social media by social science academics for scholarly communication
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-11-2017-0091 |
| Date | 03 September 2018 |
| Pages | 412-424 |
| Published date | 03 September 2018 |
| Author | Sultan Muhaya Al-Daihani,Jumanah Salem Al-Qallaf,Sara Ali AlSaheeb |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
Use of social media by social
science academics for
scholarly communication
Sultan Muhaya Al-Daihani
Department of Library and Information Science,
Kuwait University, Kuwait, and
Jumanah Salem Al-Qallaf and Sara Ali AlSaheeb
Department of Information Studies, Kuwait University, Kuwait
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study is to investigate social science academics’use of social media for
scholarlycommunication at Kuwait University.
Design/methodology/approach –Phase One data were collected through web-based and paper
responses to questionnaires.Faculty members, teachers and teaching assistants in the social science faculty
were invited to participate. Forty-six of the 100 invited participants responded. Phase Two comprised
interviewswith 10 respondents.
Findings –Social connection platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, received the highest mean score for use
(M = 4.35), followed by mobile apps, such as WhatsApp (M = 4.24), and multimedia platforms such as Instagram
and YouTube (M = 3.59). Moderate to low use was recorded for academic social media. ResearchGate recorded
the highest use (M = 3.09), followed by academia.edu (M = 2.93). “Keepingintouch”was the most frequently
reported activity (M = 4.04). Two-thirds of respondents used social media for informal scholarly communication
with people they knew. “Lack of university encouragement”received the highest score (M = 3.54) as a factor
inhibiting use and almost half the respondents (47.2 per cent) cited “lack of time”as a barrier.
Practical implications –Improving academics’understanding of the uses of social media might increase
their visibility and improve their research and other scholarly activities. Study findings support the
development of relevant training programs that include a focus on integrating social media into research
activitiesand the dissemination of research findings.
Originality/value –This study contributes to the limited literature on this topic in Kuwait and the
Arabian Gulfregion.
Keywords Kuwait, Scholarly communication, Social media, Academia.edu, ResearchGate,
Social science academics
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Social media are widely used in the current educational context of emerging technologies,
and they influence academics’scholarly communications significantly. Manca and Ranieri
(2017) have pointed out the power of social media to change scholarly communications.
Work et al. (2015) stated that social mediatools are being used increasingly in research and
scholarly communications, because scholars are interacting on Facebook, LinkedIn and
Twitter, and on specializedwebsites such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu and Mendeley.
Academics experience rapid responses and interactions with each other through these
social media platforms. They announce new activities and events, such as publications of
their papers, conferences and meetings,and they exchange research questions and answers.
GKMC
67,6/7
412
Received11 November 2017
Revised12 February 2018
20April 2018
Accepted30 April 2018
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.67 No. 6/7, 2018
pp. 412-424
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-11-2017-0091
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