Sharing your research in the digital age
Dr Matthew Partridge
15/05/2014
#RSE14
About me
• Started out in science at Lancaster university
studying Biochemistry
• Spent 5 years working for a medical device
research company
• Currently working as a post doc in Engineering
Photonics, primarily working with fibre optic
sensors for a variety of applications
• Currently run ErrantScience.com an open science
blog which attracts around 1000 readers a week.
Aim of sharing your research
• Validation of your work by peers
• Sharing of your techniques/research with other
possible users
• Forming partnerships and collaborations
• Demonstrating your contribution to the field
– Building your profile as an active researcher
• Increasing the impact of your research
Non-digital routes – 1Types
Journals
Conferences
Media
Non-digital routes - 2The scale of journal publications
Digital routesDiversity
Digital routesSpectrum
Digital routesProfile curating
• About managing your
research profile
– Papers
– Patents
– Other publications
• Ensures that others can
easily see your work
• Can require updating as
little as 2-3 times a year
• Being on all is not
necessary
Digital routesActive data sharing
• Acts as an extension of you
profile
• Allows others to see and use
your work (where allowed)
• Allows you to track and look at
the use of your data and
materials
• Can help show impact of work
• Requires updating as little as
2-3 times a year, as needed
• Works both ways and can also
give you access to data and
teaching material
Digital routesSocial media
• Requires some elements of
curating but it more focused on
sharing current news
• Requires updates more
frequently
– Linked In – as needed
– Facebook – weekly
– Twitter – daily if possible
• Act as places to discuss work
and form collaborations
• Involves active participation
not just occasional posting of
information
Digital routesBlogging
• Wide variety of scope
– Simplest - a page showing
off your research, updated
when new papers come out
– Involved – frequently
updated blog showing work
beyond you publications
• Can act as a hub for all the
other digital routes.
• Often very easy to find via
Google.
• The more content you can
provide the more interaction
you’ll find
ImpactExamples (from the last 12m)
• Blog – Contacted by a company interested in
commercialising a microscope that I discussed
• Twitter – found another UK group doing complementary
work and have started discussing collaboration
• LinkedIn – Contacted by a business with an interest in a
collaborative sensor project that had previously stalled
• Blog – Advertised and arranged the sharing of equipment
with a group at Southampton University
• Figshare – Uploaded data from my thesis, some of which
has been viewed and shared by 100+ people
FAQs
• What can I share, what about IP?
• How do I know this is having an effect?
• Will talking about work affect later publications?
• Who do I need to get permission from
Summary
• Sharing research digitally is crucial to any researcher
wanting to present themselves to the community
• Everyone can do something to help promote themselves to
the digital community.
• The more time you put into it the more you will get out,
especially if you focus on what you want to achieve (e.g.
collaborations or building contacts)
• Many Universities have already adopted and actively
encourage this kind of sharing
• This kind of interaction is not new
Next stepJoin twitter!
• Cranfield currently has about 58 twitter active researchers
• Easy to join and there’s help available from the library
– “Twitter – Join the conversation”
• These talks are using the hashtag #RSE14 and are being
discussed online
• People to follow;
– Library – @KNL_MIRC
– Me – @MCeeP
• We are having a meetup at the CSA on the 3rd of June @
14:00 for any Cranfield people on twitter
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