Relationship between Twitter and Radiology Journal Citations.

Abstract

HomeRadiologyVol. 301, No. 1 PreviousNext Original ResearchFree AccessResearch LetterRelationship between Twitter and Radiology Journal CitationsAlex Pozdnyakov, Peri Abdullah, Mostafa Alabousi , Abdullah Alabousi, Mohammed Kashif Al-Ghita, Rayeh Kashef Al-Ghetaa, Andrey Gappasov, Michael N. PatlasAlex Pozdnyakov, Peri Abdullah, Mostafa Alabousi , Abdullah Alabousi, Mohammed Kashif Al-Ghita, Rayeh Kashef Al-Ghetaa, Andrey Gappasov, Michael N. PatlasAuthor AffiliationsFrom the Michael DeGroote School of Medicine (A.P.), Canadian Research Data Centre Network (P.A.), and Department of Radiology (M.A.), McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4L8; Department of Radiology, McMaster University, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Canada (A.A.); Faculty of Medical Sciences, Western University, London, Canada (M.K.A.G.); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (R.K.A.G.); Faculty of Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies (A.G.); and Department of Radiology, McMaster University, Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada (M.N.P.).Address correspondence to M.A. (e-mail: [email protected]).Alex PozdnyakovPeri AbdullahMostafa Alabousi Abdullah AlabousiMohammed Kashif Al-GhitaRayeh Kashef Al-GhetaaAndrey GappasovMichael N. PatlasPublished Online:Aug 10 2021https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2021204655See editorial bySusanna I. LeeMoreSectionsPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked In AbstractDownload as PowerPointSee also the editorial by Lee and Bluemke in this issue.IntroductionTwitter, an ever more prominent social media platform, plays an important role in medicine as a forum for exchange of ideas and academic communication (1). The impact of Twitter activity on citation rates has been studied in other medical specialties, but further assessment in radiology is needed (2). With the integration of social media and academic research, Altmetric scores emerged as an index that evaluates the footprint of a scientific publication, including Twitter activity (3).The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between Twitter activity or Altmetric scores and citation rates of original research studies published in select radiology journals.Materials and MethodsThe protocol for this retrospective study was registered a priori in an open access database (https://osf.io/puzt9/?view_only=2d18d6a235b6446dacc267b7fd27877b). Original research studies, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, published in select radiology journals (Radiology, European Radiology, Journal of the American College of Radiology, Investigative Radiology, and American Journal of Roentgenology) from January 1 to December 31, 2015, were included. Study characteristics, Twitter activity (defined as linking the published article in a tweet), and Altmetric score metrics were collected. Citation counts were obtained through Web of Science. The association between social media metrics (Twitter activity and Altmetric score) and citation rates was assessed using multivariate negative binomial regression models and expressed in terms of odds ratios (ORs) with P values and 95% CIs. The following covariates were included: study design, sample size, and journal of publication. P < .05 was considered indicative of a statistically significant difference.ResultsOf the 462 included studies, 272 had associated Twitter activity (Table 1). As Table 2 demonstrates, the presence of any Twitter activity was associated with a higher citation rate (OR, 1.29; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.66; P = .04), with the strongest association seen in studies that were tweeted about more than five times (OR, 1.66; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.40; P = .01). The association between the presence of any Altmetric activity and citation rate did not reach the statistical significance threshold (OR, 1.26; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.61; P = .06). Studies with an Altmetric score greater than 5 demonstrated a significantly higher number of citations (OR, 1.72; 95% CI: 1.24, 2.40; P < .01).Table 1: Summary of Twitter Use in Included StudiesTable 2: Relationship between Twitter Activity or Altmetric Score and Number of Citations according to Four Separate Binomial Regression ModelsDiscussionWe found that radiology articles with higher citation rates tended to have more Twitter activity. Due to the nature of our study, causality cannot be determined. Therefore, the observed relationship may indicate that highly cited articles attract more Twitter activity or that Twitter activity in itself may lead to increased citation rates. Moreover, the association between an Altmetric score higher than 5 and increased citation rate supports the notion that Twitter serves as an important platform for academic discourse.In the field of radiology, Rosenkrantz et al (3) assessed the association between traditional citations and alternative impact metrics using Altmetric scores in studies published in Academic Radiology, American Journal of Roentgenology, Journal of the American College of Radiology, and Radiology. They found a weak correlation between citation rate and Altmetric score (r = 0.20). Across other clinical disciplines, there has been increased interest in investigating the link between Twitter use and citation rates. A similar study examined articles published in the six major coloproctology journals between 2015 and 2016 and demonstrated a significant relationship between Twitter activity and the number of times an article was cited (OR, 8.6; 95% CI: 4.0, 18.8; P = .001) (4). Our findings agree with these trends and suggest that citation rates in general radiology journals published in English may be associated with Twitter activity more strongly than with other social media metrics. Although novel social media metrics contribute to visibility, they are intrinsically different from peer-reviewed media and therefore may not replace the traditional metrics, such as citation rates.In summary, although further research, particularly prospective studies, is warranted to determine causation, our findings show that Twitter may be a useful platform in promoting radiology research.Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest: A.P. disclosed no relevant relationships. P.A. disclosed no relevant relationships. M.A. Activities related to the present article: has served as an associate editor for the Radiology in Training editorial board. Activities not related to the present article: diclosed no relevant relationships. Other relationships: disclosed no relevant relationships. A.A. disclosed no relevant relationships. M.K.A.G. disclosed no relevant relationships. R.K.A.G. disclosed no relevant relationships. A.G. disclosed no relevant relationships. M.N.P. Activities related to the present article: disclosed no relevant relationships. Activities not related to the present article: receives royalties from Springer; receives a stipend from the Canadian Association of Radiologist for acting as Editor-in-Chief. Other relationships: disclosed no relevant relationships.Author ContributionsAuthor contributions: Guarantors of integrity of entire study, A.P., M.A., A.A., A.G., M.N.P.; study concepts/study design or data acquisition or data analysis/interpretation, all authors; manuscript drafting or manuscript revision for important intellectual content, all authors; approval of final version of submitted manuscript, all authors; agrees to ensure any questions related to the work are appropriately resolved, all authors; literature research, A.P., M.A., M.K.A.G., R.K.A.G., A.G., M.N.P.; statistical analysis, P.A., M.A.; and manuscript editing, A.P., P.A., M.A., A.A., R.K.A.G., M.N.P.