I know what you're thinking. Twitter? For research? Isn't that just for arguments and cat videos? That's what I thought too. But I'm a second-year Master's student, and for my latest research paper, I accidentally discovered that Academic Twitter is a real thing and it's actually... helpful?
Here's how I use it without getting sucked into the chaos:
Follow the right people. I started following scholars whose work I cite. They tweet about their new research, share calls for papers, and recommend articles I'd never find in database searches. One professor I follow tweeted a thread about exactly my topic with like 30 sources attached. Goldmine.
Look for "threads." Some academics write these amazing Twitter threads summarizing their latest article. It's like a free abstract + discussion section. I get the gist, and if it's relevant, I go find the full paper.
Conference hashtags. During conference season, I follow hashtags like #ASA2024 or #AHA2024. People live-tweet panels. I've found so many emerging ideas before they're even published.
Ask questions. I've literally tweeted "hey @DrSomeone, your 2021 article on X was really helpful. Do you have any recommendations for newer work on Y?" And sometimes they ANSWER. A real scholar helped me! For free!
Just be careful. Set a timer. The doomscrolling is real.
Anyone else use social media for research? Any accounts I should follow?
Here's how I use it without getting sucked into the chaos:
Follow the right people. I started following scholars whose work I cite. They tweet about their new research, share calls for papers, and recommend articles I'd never find in database searches. One professor I follow tweeted a thread about exactly my topic with like 30 sources attached. Goldmine.
Look for "threads." Some academics write these amazing Twitter threads summarizing their latest article. It's like a free abstract + discussion section. I get the gist, and if it's relevant, I go find the full paper.
Conference hashtags. During conference season, I follow hashtags like #ASA2024 or #AHA2024. People live-tweet panels. I've found so many emerging ideas before they're even published.
Ask questions. I've literally tweeted "hey @DrSomeone, your 2021 article on X was really helpful. Do you have any recommendations for newer work on Y?" And sometimes they ANSWER. A real scholar helped me! For free!
Just be careful. Set a timer. The doomscrolling is real.
Anyone else use social media for research? Any accounts I should follow?
