Tuesday 7 August 2012

Maximizing your #impact as a #researcher: free handbook and blog

First of all, let me start of this blog with a link to the handbook on 'Maximizing the Impact of Your Research'. A 298 page (HUH!) handbook on how to track your research impact, both via more classical numbers (times cited...) and contemporary media (social media). It is a serious handbook, and the author is open to any comments, so feel free to add any ideas (j.tinkler at lse.ac.uk). The handbook is published by the London School of Economics and Politics.

For those having less time, a much shorter, yet useful blogpost written by Deborah Lupton was published in the wonderful Impact of Social Sciences blog from the London School of Economics and Politics. It covers all the strategies social scientists (or any other researchers or engaged people at that) can use to enhance their digital profile. She explains each of the next parts in detail in the post, so I will only briefly touch the list of actions we can undertake as Deborah suggests:

Building networks (oh yes, Google+, Facebook, ...): to get connected with people interested in similar areas.
Public engagement (via blogs and such): to get ideas out in the open and be able to discuss them with peers.
Receiving feedback (any comment enabled social media will do): our ideas or research or actions are nothing if not scrutinized by others with experience.
Establishing an e-profile (what I would call a digital identity): I feel this should be at the top of the list, as trust and respect is at the core of being able to discuss ideas and share them or get them disseminated through networks.
Curation and sharing of content: this can be done fully manual (you select and retweet, blog, list, newsletter... any content that you encounter and find of interest) or it can be done semi-automated (Pinterest.com, paper.li, storify, scoop.it...)
Teaching (I would add learning to this, as I am a believer in building upon each others strengths): engaging learners in courses or learning activities.

Looking at the handbook and the post, I would add 'analytics' as a very important part of your research/person digital impact. For with analyzing who is following you, which items get picked up... you can get an idea of your followers. On the other hand, a blog is my blog, so serendipity should also get its place.

Thanks Bruno Meessen to bring this blogpost to my attention!

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