Use of Social Networking Tools for Informal Scholarly Communication in Humanities and Social Sciences Disciplines

Abstract

Social networking tools, reinforced by proliferation and advances in portable computing and wireless technologies, have reshaped how information is produced, communicated, and consumed. This research investigates the extent to which social networking tools had an impact on academics’ patterns of informal scholarly communication in humanities and social sciences disciplines. A quantitative study utilized an online questionnaire sent to academics affiliated with humanities and social sciences disciplines in Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. Descriptive interpretation of data including frequencies, percentages, and means were displayed in tables to enhance the meaning of collected data. Overall findings indicate progressive use of social networking tools for informal scholarly communication. There is perceived usefulness on the impact of social networking tools on patterns of informal scholarly communication. However, nearly one third of the respondents have never used social networking tools for informal scholarly communication. Empirical findings provide broad understanding about the potential of social networking tools on informal scholarly communication in areas of humanities and social sciences disciplines. Multi- disciplinary investigation and qualitative studies may further deepen our understanding of the impact of social networking tools on patterns of scholarly communication.