Academia.Edu By Dr. Richard Meissner Integrated Water Assessment Group Natural Resources and the Environment Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Presented at the Improvement of Researcher Visibility Workshop, 18 November 2015, CSIR, Knowledge Commons
Outline
• Academia.edu • Tips • Advantages • Disadvantages • Associated risks • Conclusion
Academia.edu (https://www.academia.edu/) • It is aimed at academics and researchers. • Mission: to accelerate the world’s research. • Almost 28 million academics signed up on 13 Nov. 2015 -
Adding more than 7.5 million papers and more than 1.7 million research interests.
• It attracts over 36 million unique visitors a month • Uses -
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Platform to share research papers. • Upload research. Monitor impact of research. • Track Analytics. Track research of other academics you follow. Discuss manuscripts before submission. • Soliciting feedback on papers you’d like to publish through the Sessions function.
Academia.edu (continue) • What you can upload and share?
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Almost anything and everything… (except photos) CV Papers (Published and unpublished) Thesis chapters (Published and unpublished) Conference and workshop presentations (Published and unpublished) Books Book reviews Posters Talks Lectures You can also message fellow researchers through Messages. Connect your CSIR e-mail address to receive notifications. Notifications tell you who uploaded what and who wants to get in touch. If you have a website (Facebook, Google, Panoramio, Twitter etc.) you can connect it as well. - Facebook and Twitter can be followed automatically.
Academia.edu (continue)
• Analytics - Number of Profile views. - Number of document views in the last 30 days. - Number of unique visitors in the last 30 days • In terms of time, date, which Academia.edu •
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document, which website, keyword (sometimes), city and country. You can also look at a world map… - Over the last 30 or 60 days. - Can makes these public or keep it private. Stats can be exported to csv for own analytical purposes.
Tips • • • • • • • • • •
Create your own profile asap! Be as detailed as possible with your profile. Place a good profile picture. Academia can be used as a search engine too. Start to follow researchers in your field. - Contact some of them, but don’t pester them… Tweet your accomplished views. Link it up with other websites. Make Aacedmia.edu part of your e-mail signature. Invite co-authors of your work. As soon as you have done something, publish it.
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Keep in mind it is not Facebook and/or Twitter • So no ‘I like blue’ messages.
• Use the Sessions function to improve your research.
Advantages • • • •
You get in touch with like-minded researchers. You can connect with other institutions. Your are ‘up to date’ with what your peers are doing. You can see where in the world your work is viewed.
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This might assist in tracking plagiarism…
• Your can see who follows you and in which fields they • •
are working. Pre-peer review is possible through the Sessions function. You have the freedom to upload almost anything related to your research.
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There seem to be no fixed categories…
Disadvantages • Cannot build a CV (yet?). • How about the uploading of photos that are part of research?
Associated risks • The risks and their mitigation depends on the researcher. -
Communicate ethically.
• Others might think it is another platform to use your research as a ‘free for all’.
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Perception that if on the web, you don’t have to reference the research.
• An anti-plagiarism function might be a good future •
function. Heed publishers wishes not to place certain material.
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Book chapters (CMA chapter) (Brochures are fine) Books (Water Security book) (Brochures are fine) Some articles (International Journal of Water Governance) (Abstract might be okay).
• If unsure ask the publisher.
Conclusion • • • • •
Raising your profile is in your hands too. Don’t depend on others to do it for you. Use Academia.edu to raise your profile. The profile belongs to you so manage it as if your future depends on it. Keep a sharp eye out for abuse (plagiarism).
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Nip it in the bud as soon as it appears.
Thank? you for listening Richard Meissner (D.Phil) Senior Researcher: Water Resource Governance Systems Research Group CSIR - Natural Resources and the Environment Unit PO Box 395 Room S210 Building 33 Pretoria Meiring Naude Road 0001 Brummeria Tel: 012 841 3696 Cell: 071 677 6262 Fax: 012 842 70311 E-mail:
[email protected]
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