New source, new possibilities: An exploratory study of Bluesky posts referencing scholarly articles

Abstract:  Amid the migration of academics from X, the social media platform Bluesky has been proposed as a potential alternative. To assess its viability and relevance for science communication, this study presents the first large-scale analysis of scholarly article dissemination on Bluesky, exploring its potential as a new source of social media metrics. We collected and analysed 87,470 Bluesky posts referencing 72,898 scholarly articles from February 2024 to April 2025, integrating metadata from the OpenAlex database. We examined temporal trends, disciplinary coverage, language use, textual characteristics, and user engagement. A sharp increase in scholarly activity on Bluesky was observed from November 2024, coinciding with broader academic shifts away from X. Posts primarily focus on the social, environmental, and medical sciences and are predominantly written in English. As on X, likes and reposts are much more common than replies and quotes. Nevertheless, Bluesky posts demonstrate a higher degree of textual originality than previously observed on X, suggesting greater interpretive engagement. These findings highlight Bluesky's emerging role as a credible platform for science communication and a promising source for altmetrics. The platform may facilitate not only early visibility of research outputs but also more meaningful scholarly dialogue in the evolving social media landscape.