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social media, see "Research That Trends" on page 34.) Pros and Cons By posting research information on blogs and social media sites, or by making articles open access, authors enjoy a host of advantages: 1. They can share their work with more people. The research can be read by anyone with a computer, a web browser, and an interest in the topic. And the work is easy to share: Authors simply post a link to the research; readers click on it, and the article is there. "There have been many studies that show that articles are cited more often when they're OA," says Björk. One such study is "The Impact of Economic Blogs," a paper by the World Bank's David McKenzie and Berk Özler that examines how abstract views and downloads of linked articles are increased when bloggers mention them online. 2. They can expand their own research. When publications are available online, scholars can read more within their own and related disciplines. This can lead to increased collaborations with other academics, notes Tinkler. 3. They can publish research quickly. Top journals might take two years to accept and print an article. Electronic delivery allows research to be available almost immediately. Björk notes that OA publishing also allows readers to see the original manuscript, the review- ers' comments, and the revisions, so that the whole process is very transparent. 4. They become part of a broad online academic community. This leads to more publicity and more support, says Tinkler. 5. They enjoy improved met- rics. OA journals and online blogs allow authors to see how many people are reading their posts—and how many people are talking about them on Facebook and Twitter. 6. They can reach nonacademic readers. While universities sub- scribe to the important academic journals, small engineering firms or medical personnel in develop- ing nations probably don't and probably can't afford to, Björk says. Therefore, if the most recent research in their fields isn't made freely available, they might miss out on important new advances. This might be changing, however, if publishers and libraries follow the lead of the U.K. and find ways to expand journal access to all interested parties. (See "Access for Everyone" on facing page.) 7. They can serve the public good. Björk notes that, in most countries, the public sector has ultimately paid for university research. Therefore, it's only fair that the research should be made widely available so that it can have a greater impact on industry, on society, and on research itself. But publishing information online can have its disadvantages, too, Tinkler points out. Academics can feel overwhelmed by adding tweeting and blogging to their other responsibilities. The quality and dis- cussion of the online debates can be tricky to moderate and can't match the quality of peer review, even though "some quality assurances can be built into how social media is used." Finally, the very public instant feedback can be "nerve- wracking for individual academics and universities," she says. Helpful Links The "Impact of Social Sciences" blog maintained by the London School of Economics and Political Science offers a wealth of data and commentary about the advantages and challenges of sharing academic research through social media. ■ Home page: http://blogs.lse. ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/ ■ A PDF on "Using Twitter in univer- sity research, teaching and impact activities," written by Patrick Dunleavy, Amy Mollett, and Danielle Moran: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactof socialsciences/files/2011/11/ Published-Twitter_Guide_Sept_2011. pdf ■ A PowerPoint presentation on "Openness and Impact in Academia Using Social Media," delivered by Jane Tinkler: http://www.slideshare. net/JaneTinkler/using-social- media-to-disseminate-academic- work-edinburgh-2012-final ■ A study on "The Impact of Eco- nomic Blogs," by David McKenzie and Berk Özler: https://blogs.worldbank.org/ impactevaluations/files/impact evaluations/dispatchsection2.pdf Helpful Links It seems likely that, as the digital natives of the Millennial generation move more deeply into research, they'll bring with them their love of online communication, which will lead to even more willingness to post scholarship online. That's just one more reason researchers like Björk believe that "OA is the future of academic publishing." 4. They become part of a broad online academic community. leads to more publicity and more support, says Tinkler. 5. They enjoy improved met rics. OA journals and online blogs allow authors to see how many 23 BizEd May/June 2014