Scholarly communication issues around scholarly collaboration networks | Library Connect

"With Facebook at almost two billion monthly users, it’s safe to say most of us are familiar with the functions of an online social network.1 Professional counterparts, such as LinkedIn, allow us to present our career qualifications to the world at large, especially to potential employers. Scholarly collaboration networks (SCNs), such as Mendeley, Academia.edu and ResearchGate, are an interesting blend of social and professional with elements of see and be seen, and tools for managing research.   Though they are sometimes called “academic” social networks, SCNs are used by a wide audience of researchers and scholars both within academia and beyond. With the rise of SCNs, librarians need to understand the role of these networks in the research lifecycle, the key issues involved and how to incorporate SCNs into scholarly communication models and instruction and outreach activities. "