An analysis of ResearchGate and Academia. edu as socio-technical systems for scholars’ networked learning: a multilevel framework proposal

Abstract

Academic social network sites (ASNS) like ResearchGate and Academia.edu are digitalplatforms for information sharing and systems for open dissemination of scholarly practices that are gainingmomentum among researchers of multiple disciplines. Although ASNS are increasingly transformingscholarly practices and academic identity, a unifying theoretical approach that analyses these platforms atboth a systemic/infrastructural and at a personal/individual level is missing. Moreover, despite there is anincreasing amount of studies on social media benefits for scholarly networking and knowledge sharing, veryfew studies have investigated specific benefits of ResearchGate and Academia.edu for scholars’ professionaldevelopment according to a networked learning perspective. This study focuses on academic social networksites as networked socio-technical systems and adopts a three-level analysis related to ASNS as platformsfor digital scholarship and scholarly communication. The approach comprises: 1) a macro-level, whichconstitutes the socio-economic layer; 2) a meso-level, which comprises the techno-cultural layer; and 3)a micro-level, which constitutes the networked-scholar layer. The study reports on investigations into thetechnological features provided by ResearchGate and Academia.edu for networked learning that are basedon the multilevel approach. The final aim is to exemplify how these digital services are socio-technicalsystems that support scholars’ knowledge sharing and professional learning.