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Tweeting your research paper boosts engagement but not citations

Analysis of a random selection of papers shared on social media showed no causative link between posting and citations.
  1. Bianca Nogrady
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The logo of the social networking site 'X' (formerly known as Twitter) is displayed centrally on a smartphone screen alongside that of Threads (L) and Instagram (R).

Even before complaints about X’s declining quality, posting a paper on the social-media platform did not lead to a boost in citations. Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty

Posting about a research paper on social-media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) doesn’t translate into a bump in citations, according to a study that looked at 550 papers.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00922-y

References

  1. Branch, T. A. et al. PLoS ONE 19, e0292201 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Haustein, S., Peters, I., Sugimoto, C. R., Thelwall, M. & Larivière, V. J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 65, 656–669 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

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