Academic Social Networks Research Articles

Open access in ethics research: an analysis of open access availability and author self-archiving behaviour in light of journal copyright restrictions

The current state of open access to journal publications within research areas belonging to the humanities has received relatively little research attention. This study provides a detailed mapping of the bibliometric state of open access to journal publications among ethicists, taking into account not only open access publishing in journals directly, but also where and in what form ethicists make their journal articles available elsewhere on the web. As part of the study 297 ethicists affiliated with top-ranking philosophy departments were identified and their journal publication information for the years 2010–2015 were recorded (1682 unique articles). The journal articles were then queried for through Google Scholar in order to establish open access status (web locations, document versions) of each publication record. Publication records belonging to the 20 most frequently used journal outlets (subset of 597 unique articles) were put under closer inspection with regards to alignment with publisher copyright restrictions as well as measuring unused potential to share articles. The results show that slightly over half of recent journal publications are available to read for free. PhilPapers and academic social networks (Academia.edu and ResearchGate) were found to be key platforms for research dissemination in ethics research. The representation of institutional repositories as providers of access was found to be weak, receiving the second lowest frequency rating among the eight discrete web location categories. Further, the study reveals that ethicists are at the same time prone to copyright infringement and undersharing their scholarly work.

Communication, collaboration and identity: factor analysis of academics’ perceptions of online networking

Since the advent of online social networking sites, much has been written about their potential for transforming academia, as communication and collaboration underpin many scholarly activities. However, the extent to which these benefits are being realised in practice is unclear. As the uptake of tools by academics continues to grow, there is a question as to whether differences exist in their use and if any patterns or underlying factors are at play. This article presents the results of an online survey addressing this gap. A disciplinary divide was evident in terms of preferred academic social networking platforms, while perceptions about how academics use online networking for different purposes are linked to job position. Exploratory factor analysis identified four components representing different strategies used by academics in their approaches to online networking, including maintaining a personal learning network, promoting the professional self, seeking and promoting publications, and advancing careers. Published : 10 April 2018 Citation : Research in Learning Technology 2018, 26 : 2013 - http://dx.doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v26.2013

Clearing the garden: ScholarlyHub as a new non-profit digital commons

Open scholarly communications are being suffocated by for-profit and large-scale academic publishers on the one hand and undermined by commercial academic social networks on the other. A possible part of the solution to both is ScholarlyHub, a new initiative to create a non-profit digital commons. ScholarlyHub proposes to serve as a social ‘front end’ of the open access movement and offer an aggregating space for diverse initiatives in the world of scholarly communications, from mentoring and pre-print services and data storage, to peer review and publication. This article explains the pressing need to ‘clear the garden’ in order to enable research to flourish in its natural environment and details the progress of ScholarlyHub to date, looking ahead with optimism to a more collaborative and open future. A correction article relating to this publication can be found here: http://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.425

Why So Many Repositories? Examining the Limitations and Possibilities of the Institutional Repositories Landscape

ABSTRACTAcademic libraries fail to take advantage of the network effect because they manage too many digital repositories locally. While this argument applies to all manner of digital repositories, this article examines the fragmented environment of institutional repositories (IR), in which effort and costs are duplicated, numerous software platforms and versions are managed simultaneously, metadata are applied inconsistently, users are served poorly, and libraries are unable to take advantage of collective data about content and users. In the meantime, commercial IR vendors and academic social networks have shown much greater success with cloud-based models. Collectively, the library profession has enough funding to create a national-level IR, but it lacks the willingness to abandon local control.

ResearchGate and Academia.edu as networked socio-technical systems for scholarly communication: a literature review

ResearchGate and Academia.edu have been increasingly acknowledged as the most popular academic social network sites (ASNS) for scholarly communication. Along with their benefits for supporting communication and knowledge sharing within academic communities, concerns over quality and credibility remain a pertinent issue. In terms of research investigation, ASNS have attracted strong attention for new scholarly practice and their potential for building, maintaining and enhancing reputation. However, a thorough understanding is still lacking of how these sites operate as networked socio-technical systems reshaping scholarly practices and academic identity. This article analyses 39 empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals with a specific focus on ResearchGate and Academia.edu. The aim is to describe the status of the research and to identify gaps and priorities in the areas of scholarly networked learning and shared knowledge. Results show that the number of studies focusing on ResearchGate was more than double those dedicated to Academia.edu. While both sites have attracted attention in the library and information sciences as deployments for reputation building and alternative ranking systems, such as ResearchGate metrics, there is a dearth of research investigating practices and new modes of communication in the light of a networked participatory approach to scholarship. Most of the studies analysed focused on the general uptake or impact assessment of alternative metrics, while very few investigated individual and collective scholarly practices. This study points to the need for specific research on open and distributed learning achieved in ASNS according to a networked learning perspective. Published : 20 February 2018 Citation : Research in Learning Technology 2018, 26 : 2008 - https://dx.doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v26.2008

Self-archiving of scientific papers on academic social networks

<p>Samoarhiviranjem znanstvenog rada na akademskim društvenim mrežama autor može povećati njegovu vidljivost, pretraživost, a time i korištenost u znanstvenoj zajednici. Politike samoarhiviranja pojedinog izdavača diktiraju mogućnost da autor koristi tu blagodat akademskih društvenih mreža. Kako bi se stekao uvid u trenutni stav izda- vačke zajednice o tom pitanju i u to koliko je danas uopće otvorena mogućnost samo- arhiviranja na akademskim društvenim mrežama, analizirane su politike i stavovi izda- vača na uzorku od 59 izdavača u čijim je časopisima objavljivala znanstvena zajednica geofizičara s Geofizičkog odsjeka Prirodoslovno-matematičkog fakulteta u Zagrebu u razdoblju od 1980. do 2015. godine. Tako se dobila slika o stavovima izdavača koji su ključni za tu znanstvenu zajednicu.</p> <p>Trenutni rezultati pokazuju nedefiniran ili nejasan stav velikog broja izdavača. Udio radova koje geofizičari ne smiju samoarhivirati na akademskim društvenim mrežama iznosi 61,2 %, ponajviše iz razloga nepostojanja jasne i istaknute politike izdavača. Oni radovi koji se smiju samoarhivirati na akademskim društvenim mrežama najčešće se mogu pohraniti u post-print inačici (51,7 %), zatim pre-print inačici (36,9 %) i završnoj objavljenoj inačici (11,4 %).</p>

Academic social networking sites for researchers in Central Universities of Delhi

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the usage of academic social networking sites (ASNSs) among the research scholars in Central Universities of Delhi, India.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was designed and personally distributed among 200 research scholars in Central Universities in Delhi in May 2016. Of this, 180 filled-in questionnaires were personally collected by the investigator, eliciting a response rate of 90 per cent.FindingsFindings of the study reveals that research scholars have knowledge of ASNSs. ResearchGate and Academia are the most used ASNSs among research scholars. ResearchGate is used the most for connecting to other research scholars, and Academia is used for sharing and following research. Additionally, ASNSs help research scholars in research and learning and to share research ideas and experience. Finally, research scholars find ASNSs time-consuming and have cited data security as main concern for using academic social networks.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the study show that potential uses of ASNSs in Indian libraries are slow compared to the libraries of developed countries and some of the developing countries. It is suggested that universities under study may realize the benefits of ASNSs and incorporate these tools in their websites to enhance faster transfer and retrieval of information.Practical implicationsThe results also stress upon the responsibility of research supervisors to accord knowledge of ASNSs among research scholars and encourage them to join and use ASNSs efficiently and effectively for building professional connections and collaborations in their research area.Social implicationsThe study is significant because it represents one of the earliest works to shed the light on the current level of use of SNSs and ASNSs by research scholars in Central Universities in Delhi, which are in primitive nature. They provide space for self-expression, research updates, expert advice, connecting with fellow scholars, creating and joining events and discussions, presenting their views on a particular topic, finding collaboration on projects, finding jobs and much more.Originality/valueASNSs have further promoted the open source movement. The paper apprises the academic stakeholders about the unique features, adoption, acceptability and usage of ASNSs for research work, exchange of information and collaborations, so that more productive and quality research is produced. The findings will also guide research scholars to find popular ASNSs, so that they can build more academic connections.

Research universities on the ResearchGate social networking site: An examination of institutional differences, research activity level, and social networks formed

Abstract As one of the largest active academic social networking sites, ResearchGate (RG) has been utilized by scholars to share publications, seek collaborators, communicate work in progress, and build scholarly reputation. This study collects data from RG users from 61 U.S. research universities at different research activity levels, as categorized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, to examine the impact of institutional differences on RG reputational metrics. The results confirm that RG is a research-oriented academic social networking site that closely and realistically mirrors the research activity level of institutions. With an increase in the research activity level of a university, its affiliated RG users tend to have higher RG scores, more publications and citations, and more profile views and followers, while the average number of reads of their publications and followees tend to be lower and fluctuant. In addition, RG users primarily follow others from institutions of a higher research activity level, forming virtual social networks centered around esteemed institutions. The study suggests academic social networks can serve as indicators in evaluation of research activities among research institutions, and such sites can be helpful and credible for acquiring resources, keeping informed about research, and promoting academic influence.

Analyzing the follower–followee ratio to determine user characteristics and institutional participation differences among research universities on ResearchGate

This study aims to examine how the follower–followee ratio determines user characteristics on the academic social networking site ResearchGate (RG) and to examine institutional participation differences among research universities. It uses the follower–followee ratio as the categorization measure for grouping 87,083 RG users from 61 U.S. universities, in three research activity levels as determined by The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (2016). As a result of analysis, individuals in the sample were further differentiated into three categories or user groups based on the follower–followee ratio: Information Source users (37.98%), Friend users (54.21%), and Information Seeker users (7.81%). These three user categories differ in overall scholarly reputation, popularity, and academic influence with a decrease from Information Source users to Information Seeker users. This study also reveals the current status of institutional participation in terms of activity level, and differences in user composition at three research activity levels. While the proportion of the Information Seeker users remains roughly the same across research activity levels, as the scholarly reputation of a university increases, there is an increase in the proportion of Friend users. The results help promote a deeper understanding of the follower–followee relationship among users on an academic social networking site, as well as the institutional user participation status. Future research should consider an international comparison between nations and disciplines. Application of this approach to other academic social networking sites would enhance general understanding of academic social networking sites and their users.

Ranking authors in academic social networks: a survey

PurposeThis study reviews the methods found in the literature for the ranking of authors, identifies the pros and cons of these methods, discusses and compares these methods. The purpose of this paper is to study is to find the challenges and future directions of ranking of academic objects, especially authors, for future researchers.Design/methodology/approachThis study reviews the methods found in the literature for the ranking of authors, classifies them into subcategories by studying and analyzing their way of achieving the objectives, discusses and compares them. The data sets used in the literature and the evaluation measures applicable in the domain are also presented.FindingsThe survey identifies the challenges involved in the field of ranking of authors and future directions.Originality/valueTo the best of the knowledge, this is the first survey that studies the author ranking problem in detail and classifies them according to their key functionalities, features and way of achieving the objective according to the requirement of the problem.

Rising Star Evaluation in Heterogeneous Social Network

Rising stars are junior individuals in the social network who will have high impacts with time accumulation. Rising star evaluation has become a research hotspot in network analysis area recently, which is helpful for decision support, resource allocation, and other practical problems. As a traditional social network, academic social network is stressed because of its heterogeneity and regular data structure. In this paper, we assume there are inside factors influencing individuals behaviors. We process the network parameters and mine inner factors via factor analysis, and train a decision tree to evaluate future impact. Experiment is processed on america physics society dataset, and the result shows our method has better performance than state-of-the-arts.

Collaboration and friendship of scholars: A dual network analysis

ABSTRACTIn this study, we analyze the dual network of scholars' co‐authorship and online friendship. We conduct comparisons of these two networks in the field of scientometrics. Using co‐authorship data of publications and following data on ResearchGate, we extract the co‐authorship network and online friendship network, respectively. The results reveal several topological differences between these two networks. The edges of co‐authorship network are more decentralized than the online friendship network. Moreover, the co‐authorship network has a clear community structure, while the online friendship network has clustered communities. However, the two networks have a strong internal relationship. Specifically, the co‐authorship intensity has an impact on the formation of social relations. The academic social network promotes the integration of and scholarly communication among academic communities.

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

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.

Usage of academic social networking sites by Karachi social science faculty

The last decade has seen the emergence of academic social networking sites as a vehicle for scholars to promote their research and communicate with other scholars in their field. Given the small number of studies on the use of such sites by Pakistani academics, the authors conducted an exploratory study of social science faculty members at five Karachi (Pakistan) public sector universities. Analysis of the 68 valid responses revealed that the primary reason for accessing an academic social networking site was to search for articles on the site. Results also showed that accruing citations was the main reason for which respondents uploaded their own publications. The findings validate a role for librarians to support academics in their creation of effective online academic profiles.

Academic researchers’ behavioural intention to use academic social networking sites: A case of Malaysian research universities

This study seeks to validate a comprehensive model of academic researchers’ intention in the context of academic social networking sites (ASNSs). It uses the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model with constructs of perceived security, perceived privacy, trust, attitude towards technology, and communication benefits as well as age, gender and experience as moderator variables. The survey results supported the positive relationships between the factors in the model, except effort expectancy, which had no significant effect on behavioural intention. However, the results of three moderator variables demonstrated that they had no significant effect on the adoption of ASNSs. The finding of this research will provide directions for ASNSs providers to support them in developing effective ASNSs for academic researchers.

Use of ResearchGate by the Research Scholars of Pondicherry University: A Study

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>ResearchGate is an academic social network site designed primarily for scholars to create their own profiles, upload their scholarly work, and communicate among peers. The present study explores the motives, activities and benefit researcher seek or gain from joining ResearchGate academic social network. The result of the study indicates that ResearchGate is popular among research scholars in Pondicherry University. The motive of joining ResearchGate by scholar are many, however, majority of the scholars agrees that joining ResearchGate enable them to connect with people who have similar interests. Similarly, majority of the scholars stated that the main activity they involve themselves besides many activities in ResearchGate is reading articles and reviewing paper posted by others. Finally, ResearchGate has enhanced their ability to stay abreast with new/latest developments in their field of research. However, seeking employments using ResearchGate is the least research scholars anticipate. </span></p></div></div></div>

Use of ResearchGate by the Research Scholars of Pondicherry University: A Study

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>ResearchGate is an academic social network site designed primarily for scholars to create their own profiles, upload their scholarly work, and communicate among peers. The present study explores the motives, activities and benefit researcher seek or gain from joining ResearchGate academic social network. The result of the study indicates that ResearchGate is popular among research scholars in Pondicherry University. The motive of joining ResearchGate by scholar are many, however, majority of the scholars agrees that joining ResearchGate enable them to connect with people who have similar interests. Similarly, majority of the scholars stated that the main activity they involve themselves besides many activities in ResearchGate is reading articles and reviewing paper posted by others. Finally, ResearchGate has enhanced their ability to stay abreast with new/latest developments in their field of research. However, seeking employments using ResearchGate is the least research scholars anticipate. </span></p></div></div></div>

RESEARCHGATE DATA ANALYSIS TO MEASURE THE STRENGTH OF INDONESIAN RESEARCH

Academic social network is one of the social media used by the academics and researchers to communicate, collaborate, and share articles related to their works published nationally or internationally (e.g., Researchgate.net). Researchgate.net data can be used to measure the strength of research by looking at the publications of the academics and researchers. In this paper, we describe early investigation of the publications by academics and researchers from Indonesia available at Researchgate.net. The crawler application has been used to collect the data from Researchgate.net which is developed by using web scrapping technique. The result showed that 0.73% of the academics and researchers in Indonesia are publishing their articles nationally or internationally.

Toward a homogenization of academic social sites

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the distribution of profiles from academic social networking sites according to disciplines, academic statuses and gender, and detect possible biases with regard to the real staff distribution. In this way, it intends to know whether these academic places tend to become specialized sites or, on the contrary, there is a homogenization process.Design/methodology/approachTo this purpose, the evolution of profiles of one organization (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) in three major academic social sites (Academia.edu, Google Scholar Citations and ResearchGate) through six quarterly samples since April 2014 to September 2015 are tracked.FindingsLongitudinal results show important disciplinary biases but with strong increase of new profiles form different areas. They also suggest that these virtual spaces are gaining more stability and they tend toward a equilibrate environment.Originality/valueThis is the first longitudinal study of profiles from three major academic social networking sites and it allows to shed light on the future of these platforms’ populations.

“Is it like academia.edu?”: Faculty perceptions and usage of academic social networking sites and implications for librarians and institutional repositories

This paper explores the ways in which academic librarians can harness faculty familiarity with and curiosity about academic social networking sites (ASNS) in order to promote engagement with the institutional repository (IR). Highlighting significant similarities and differences between the IR and the popular ASNS Academia.edu – specifically in the areas of open access and discoverability, business model, user experience, and support – the paper then presents the key findings of a questionnaire administered to faculty at a single institution asking about their usage habits of ASNS and the IR and their motivation for engaging (or not) with each. Faculty who use ASNS identified accessing, reading, and sharing work as their primary motivations; those who do not use the sites attributed their nonuse to a lack of awareness and time. The top reported reasons for using the IR were downloading work and arranging for the deposit of student work, while skepticism and misconceptions about its benefits prevent others from interacting with the IR. The paper concludes by outlining ways in which librarians can work with faculty to create greater understanding of and engagement with the IR.