Social impact of the Brazilian science production through science communication

Abstract

Science communication is still undervalued in the academic practice. However, science journals are investing in social media use, blogs and media to improve visibility, get more readers and share the research results with society. Internationally, the major science journals publishers have invested heavily in science communication strategies. This presence in social media and in the media outlets is revealed in alternative indicators such as Altmetric, already in use by SciELO and in international databases (Web of Science and Scopus). It gives scores according to different social interactions with papers in non-academic spheres as social media, policy documents, blogs and online news, among others. Therefore, the social impact of science is monitored, it becomes relevant, and complements traditional indicators of science production. The Altmetric, however, uses a methodology that prioritizes European and North American countries, while minimizing those of national importance as the emerging or underdevelopment countries as the one in Latin American. In this scenario, this project aims to analyze the communication strategies adopted by Brazilian scientists as well as open access journals indexed in SciELO database, with a focus on social media, blogs and media sites, in order to strengthen the social impact indicators of science papers, diagnose the main challenges of using Altmetrics for journals indexed in SciELO, propose adjustments of Altmetrics indicators in order to value the social impact of science production in a national level. The results will encourage public engagement with science information, the practice of science communication as part of the academic career, and the enhancement of national indicators of social impact. (AU)