Using Social Media for Research Dissemination: The Digital Research Video Project

Abstract

This article discusses the outcomes of the Digital Research Video Project, which was part of the larger Social Media Knowledge Exchange program at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge and funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (UK). The project was founded on the premise that open access publication of research, while important, does not necessarily make research accessible. Often, PhD students and post-doctoral scholars lack the skills needed to communicate their research to a broader audience. The goal of the project was, first, to provide communication training to early career researchers (achieved through a workshop held in autumn 2012) and second, to create illustrated videos highlighting projects by early career researchers that would help them engage with their work using multimedia and share their results with a larger audience. This article considers the methods of dissemination and impact of the project.