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