Written by Gerry Allen Public Advisor / Deputy Lead for MIDAS

Yes, you read that right: Twitter. As. A. Tool. For. Academic Research.

But isn’t Twitter that place where cranks and controversial former U.S. Presidents espouse content designed to shock or force a reaction? Yes, that is the platform for such ‘colourful’ characters, but it is also the setting to which 217 million subscribers are active daily throughout the world regardless of colour, creed, economic context or even I.T. skills.

In February 2022, Public Advisor Leads for ‘MIDAS’, Patricia Jamal and Gerry Allen, were set a challenge to convert a RaCES project (Rapid Conversion of Evidence Summaries) into a series of tweets. The challenge was set by Joanna Harrison, Research Fellow for Evidence Synthesis & Summary at the Applied Health Research Hub (based at UCLAN). The RaCES project to be converted into a tweet thread was entitled ‘Risk Factors for Relapse in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis’ and had been written by Joanna and colleagues James Hill and Karen Palmer.

Converting a complex RaCES into a small number of tweets with a maximum of 240 characters, characters not words or letters, became the challenge for the intrepid Public Advisors. The initial objective was to consider and plan the objectives for the thread. Whilst some experience of Twitter was known to Pat and Gerry, this had been limited to occasional personal and professional use.

A recommendation from the Public Advisors for anyone considering the use of Twitter for communicating on academic research can be found within the link below. A short, excellent blog from Dr. Niki Rust of Newcastle University, the information provides an excellent starting point for anybody considering the use of Twitter for more imaginative ways of communication.

A nifty guide for academics on using Twitter – PLOS SciComm

Thus, the plan for designing and writing a Tweet Thread took it’s cue from the useful insight of Dr. Rust.
1. Who was the audience for the thread?
2. To consider the finesse and the content of the thread.
3. How to use images and hashtags wisely?
4. Make the messaging light and accessible
Further research on Twitter revealed the depth and range of information on the subject of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Social Media is a well-used resource within the MS community and, one must hope, a source of hope and support for sufferers of MS or for their immediate carers. The simple hashtag of #MS would therefore have the potential of reaching significant numbers of people with an interest in the subject. It also transpired that March is also the month for global awareness of MS. The timing of drafting and agreeing of a tweet thread might also prove serendipitous.
After the inevitable drafts and redrafts, a final set of five tweets was agreed, along with suitable images aimed at drawing in an audience. The final tweet thread can be noted below.

Tweet 1
1/5 How does research help those with chronic illness, such as the millions of persons with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the most common neurological disability. March is MS awareness month & recent research offers further knowledge #MSResearch

Tweet 2
2/5 Did you know that Relapse Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) is the most common type of MS, affecting approximately 85% of MS patients. Which factors could influence the risk of relapse? #MS research #LivingwithMS

Tweet 3
3/5 A RaCES Project by ARCNWC partners at UCLan and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust has critically appraised a review of factors associated with the risk of relapse for RRMS: https://clok.uclan.ac.uk/36598/ #MSResearch

Tweet 4
4/5 They found that the risk of relapse was more likely during an acquired infection such as adenovirus or influenza. Also, the period post-pregnancy is a risk factor although pregnancy itself may be protective. #MSResearch #LivingwithMS

Tweet 5
5/5 Reviewing research such as this and transferring knowledge to patients is part of my role as an ARCNWC public advisor co-lead. More info on the work we do can be found here: Get Involved – NIHR #publicadvisers #ARCNWC

The deadline for tweeting in March was lost, unfortunately. But it was important to ensure the messaging was right and used wisely given the sensitive nature of the subject matter.

What has been learned?
Firstly, converting complex information into short messages is difficult and, it is to be hoped, a valuable skill to be developed.
Reach and impact of the messaging has lots of potential. The aim of the thread was not to explain the paper, the aim was to draw the attention of the reader to its content and to click on the link for the full content and the work of the writers. A tweet that can reach hundreds of people has the potential to reach tens of people who might not otherwise be drawn to its content. The key statistics for the ‘reach’ of the tweet thread are as follows:
Tweet Impressions: 1349
Engagement: 120
Likes: 20
Retweets: 13
Overall detail expands: 64
Link Click (links only included in 2 tweets): 4
The tweet can be found here.

The exercise was good fun. It was a creative way to directly involve Public Advisors in the dissemination of an important RaCES.
That the exercise needs to be followed up and repeated for other studies or academic papers.
Twitter is not fading away. It is the prime global platform for information and communication. To tame the beast and utilise its potential for disseminating academic learning may prove an important and long-lasting development.