Towards Digital Scholarship

Noëlle Cowling

Stellenbosch University

What is Digital Scholarship?

• “Digital scholarship can encompass both scholarly communication and publication using digital media and research on digital media.” (Abby, 2011).

• Social Scholarship is characterized by openness, conversation, collaboration, access, sharing and transparent revision. (Veletsianos & Kimmons, 2011)

Technology has become a major disrupter of the current global HE Model• The rise of the internet and specifically web

2.0 has altered the manner in which academics engage publicly.

• It has changed the way in which information and publications are moving differently and beyond the academy.

The Connected Scholar• Academics are increasingly using new

technologies in order to participate in wider global networks.

• “We are seeing the development of a ‘personal brand’ and “academic rock stars” amongst academics as new technologies allow them to establish a new and wider audience.

What does digital scholarship mean for Africa?• Africa’s current contribution to world science is

approx 1.3 percent. (WOS)• Many prominent international journals have an

acknowledged bias in favour of English and researchers in the developed world

• You therefore face additional challenges to researchers elsewhere

• Digital scholarship and Open Access provides researchers in the developing world with a unique opportunity to collaborate and increase the impact and visibility of their research

Africa’s overall trends in scientific output (1980 – 2004)

How can I as a researcher harness the power of web 2.0?

• Develop a clear (web based) strategy for yourself and your research:• Step 1: Retool your online profile• Step 2: Share and upload all your research

output onto open platforms incl unpublished papers, presentations etc

• Step 3: Refine your publication strategy with impact in mind and inc OA (Green & Gold)

• Step 4: Disseminate, engage and collaborate

Technologies for Research• In order to build networks effectively you need to have a

robust and dynamic online presence.• Be aware of SEO• Key affordances of some technologies are:

• Marketing (Academia, LinkedIn, Blogging, Slideshare, Twitter)• Awareness & Dissemination (Academia, Twitter, Slideshare)• Sharing (Slideshare, Google+, Academia, Mendeley,

ResearchGate)• Collaborating (Academia, Mendeley, Research Gate, Google

Drive)• Impact Assessment (Impact Story, ORCID, Google Scholar,

Academia.edu)

# 1: Your Profile = Your BrandSocial Networking for Scholars

• Choose at least one platform to create a current profile• Academia.edu – sharing research papers

and networking• ResearchGate – connecting scientists and

fostering collaboration• Mendeley – referencing and groups• Google Scholar – Profiling and bibliometrics• LinkedIn – Professional profile and

networking

Creating and Maintaining your Online ProfileBasic guidelines for retooling your

profile would include:Be aware of your web resultsKeep a common identity throughout

various platformsProfessionalismLink your various profiles to one

another wherever possible

#2: Share your research• Use web repositories with good SEO to store

your output!• Utilise Open Institutional Repositories for

curating your research• You can include unpublished papers and

negative data• Upload or link your research to public

platforms such as Academia or Research Gate

• Share your presentations on Slideshare or Prezzi

#3: Your publication strategy• The SA science system is over focused on

publication as the pinnacle of research production.

• Choose journals which will showcase your work effectively

• Recognise the importance of citations and citation impact (Who is reading your research and what is the uptake of your research?)

• Employers and funders place increasing emphasis on citations and impact

Sharing is the key to Research Success

• Increasingly international collaboration is the key to increased publication and greater research impact

• Open journal platforms AJOL and SCIELO are home to increasingly visible local Open Access Journals

Digital Bibliometrics

• Digital Bibliometrics: Using social media to measure scholarly impact

• You can measure your research impact using web tools such as:• Google Scholar• ImpactStory• Academia.edu

• Sign up for an ORCID ID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID - a unique permanent identifier for each researcher, even if your name changes)

#4: Dissemination for increased Research Impact

• We’re shifting away from a world where the journal industry sits between the academic and the audience. We’re now moving to a world that’s more reflective of social media, where the academic is becoming the key node of distribution of research.” (http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/12/academia-edu-profiles/)

Spread the good news…

• Use social networking to announce the publication of new papers

• Upload your papers• Twitter is effectively utilised by thousands of

academics for this purpose• Engage with those who comment on your

research

Parting Thoughts…

• Your web presence is an exercise in consistency

• The power of social networking lies in economies of scale

• Participating: Social networking is a gift economy

• Keep working away it!