Social Media, Digital Scholarship, and Academic Promotion in US Medical Schools

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Academic promotion is critical in academic medicine. Traditionally, peer-reviewed journal articles have been at the core of advancement deliberations. With the increasing prominence digital content and social media, an increasing number of academics have begun linking their scholarly value with their online activities. It is unclear whether and how US academic medical institutions have updated their promotion criteria to reflect the changing environment and digital practices of faculty members. Methods: We reviewed publicly available advancement and promotion policies and faculty handbooks of 148 allopathic medical schools in the United States (April 2018 through September 2018), to see if social media was explicitly included in their scholarship criteria. Results: Of the 148 allopathic institutions only 12 (8.1%) stated that digital and social media products would be factored into the scholarship and/or other domains of the promotion application. There were no associations between acceptability of social media in the tenure process and schools’ characteristics. Conclusions: Digital media use has the potential to distribute scholarship widely. Including digital scholarship in promotion would help destigmatize the use of digital platforms and promote science dissemination to the public. Medical institutions should embrace new models of digital scholarship and lead the way in defining and ensuring quality.

The Future of Social Media, Anesthesiology, and the Perioperative Physician

“…48 Models and tools for assessing academic accomplishment and documenting social media as scholarship are increasing in development and adoption. [49][50][51][52] Although each model proposes different frameworks for incorporating social media into scholarship and evaluation for academic promotion, these examples provide evidence of the impact social media can have on scientific communication, recognition, and subsequent professional advancement for anesthesiologists.…”

Using social media for patient care, research, and professional development: A North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition position paper

“…Social media scholarship and alternative metrics for academic assessment, promotion and tenure will help expand the scope of academic promotion. These vary by institution but the creation of social media portfolios and creating an online professional presence are becoming more widely accepted 20,89,95,96 …”

“…These vary by institution but the creation of social media portfolios and creating an online professional presence are becoming more widely accepted. 20,89,95,96 Recommendation 6: We recommend that the evaluation of academic promotion or mentorship of trainees and junior faculty recognize the impact of social media-based scholarship and education for promotion and tenure.…”

How to disseminate clinical research

“…Impact factor is important, as some researchers are judged by their employer in regard to the number of publications achieved and the associated impact factors [7]. Thankfully, things are changing [8,9], and appraisal of staff based on a crude and sometimes misleading metric is increasingly seen as flawed [10]. Some publishers place work behind a paywall indefinitely or for a fixed period and offer no other means to communicate it.…”