Does Social Media Help Researchers?

 Social media in the present times is undoubtedly a very significant research tool.  Let us look at some ways in which it can help us to better collaborate, publicise and carry out our research in a more effective manner. Most of the people use Facebook as a medium for socialising, getting connected to friends, picture sharing and at times for gaming. But this isn’t its only use, it has also become a very popular medium to assist in research and other academic initiatives. How can you use Social media, specifically Facebook to facilitate your research? Here are some tips:

Developing a research page of Facebook: It is a very good idea for researchers to create a Facebook page that would help them in their research. Try to keep your professional and personal presence on the social networking site distinct.

Voting/polling: you can use Facebook for polling simple questions that do not need much explanations or detailing. Facebook gives you a good option to do that. The Facebook Poll app also gives you the alternative here.

Events:  We usually see the Event feature getting used for informal events but these days a lot of formal events are also getting publicized through Facebook. A lot of researchers are using this tool for organising and publicizing events and conferences. You can create an open, closed or a secret event on Facebook. It can be determined by the type of event you are publicizing and what you seek from the effort.

Groups: There would be people who may not be your friends but you may want to be in touch with them because of some common interests. There are a lot of groups and pertaining to your interest, you may join one or many of the Facebook groups. You will be able to stay in touch with the members of the group through chatting or mails.

 There are certain things that one needs to be cautious over and sometimes you need to put in a lot of extra effort. You will have to work around credibility issues and create the confidence that the purpose of your research is largely academic. You should initially acquaint yourself with the members before actually bringing out your research interests to them. Also v when you want to use your Facebook profile for academic purpose do not leave it open for public access. Try to have a more formal and professional image on the site so that you stay away from inappropriate comments and images which may become a hurdle in your future work.

Week after week the struggle remains the same. By the end of every week you feel that you have spent a lot of time glued to your desk attempting to write and teach. It is exhausting or rather it is daunting. Every weekend you have committed to yourself for going to a gym or healthier food or more sleep. But when we talk of its application, these are unfulfilled promises. Is it news for you that a healthy lifestyle is imperative for a good research? Wellness is crucial for a healthy life but all the more crucial for a healthy PhD life.

Wellness comprises three areas:
Healthy food
Physical work out
Mental Relaxation

Healthy Food: Healthy food may mean including more and more of fruits and vegetables in your diet and bringing down the proportion of processed food and sweets. How to get healthy eating synchronized with your PhD schedule? Focus on eating clean. Have lots of fluids, say no to packed food. Remember if you give rubbish to your body, it will give rubbish to you. Do not strain yourself to bring in a drastic change in your schedule but just focus on three healthy meals in a day.

Physical Work out: As researchers, our schedule is largely sedentary and our body does not approve of it. To move around every few hours and make some physical activity a part of your routine is essential. Begin with setting a timer for every two hours where by you could take a stretching or walking break is always a good help. Attempt at finding exercises that work best for you.

Mental Relaxation: The thinking cap is always on for a PhD researcher. Networking with people, researching, referencing, assignments, teaching and son on are the list of tasks on people’s mind. There is no end to the pressure. Turn off all the chatter that is there in your mind, switch off from all the hassle and find ways to relax your mind. Making this as a habit is the best treat you can give to yourself.

A healthy life style is a means to reach the destination in a smoother way. Any step that is taken towards wellness in lifestyle is an indirect improvement in the quality of your work. The change that it will bring will surely reflect in your work and a healthier relationship with the people you meet enroute.

I ventured into my PhD with a bang. A BIG bang, about two years. It has been an uphill  journey. A statement that wouldn’t do justice to the challenges and ordeal I have gone through. It is not easy for anyone who has not experienced it to empathise with it. Same was with me. I thought I have it in me. I have it in me, to face it with my chin up. After all, I have seen the world. With being into academics for almost half a decade, when I began my doctoral journey, I felt I was ready. How wrong I was!! To say it better, all those who think this are wrong. Now, that I am here, I have to sail through it and it takes a lot from me. A lot of effort, in the sense,  long working hours, grilling assignments, short deadlines, presentations, workshops, a demanding supervisor, statistical complications and much more. Phew!! In this final phase I have to write a conclusion to this journey and a beautiful conclusion. Literally the conclusion to my thesis and a conclusion to this journey as well. I am feeling positive and upbeat about it and its been because of satiating my regular craving of soul food. We all need it, so that we have the strength and capacity to give out best in the high tides.  There has been the constant craving to give my soul the courage, determination and motivation to  live up to my schedules. Some suggestions and ideas may help researchers to stay positive and geared up. The results may be subjective but surely positive. I have experienced and relied upon breathing techniques, meditations, solitude breaks, and introspections.  I call them “Food for the Soul”. The craving is there. Subtle or strong and we need to understand it and acknowledge it. It requires consistency in practice and since the outcome is more experiential than tangible we tend to ignore the positives.  Look into your needs and get your productivity enhanced or should I say multiplied.   I haver rewarded myself with a solitary vacation to  the valley of Kashmir for completing my targets. How about you?

There is a long list of software programmes available that commit to a better productivity in the thinking, writing and remembering of the research details. Not all of them live up to the promise that they make, however, there are a few of them that are worth the investment.

The key ones are:

Evernote: This is a tool that is quite in news for a while now. It offers options like typing of notes, collecting clippings, documents images, pdf and can be stored in the online account of Evernote and can be accessed anywhere from the smartphone. Different people may use it for different purpose. Some use it to note down their thoughts of PhD. It is found to have two main uses:

a) It brings together all useful things at one location
b) If the useful content ceases to remain accessible online then the backup remains with Evernote.
c) The expanding material on Evernote can be tagged in such a way that it remains accessible.

Mendeley: It is a superb tool that helps to simplify the tedious task of referencing. It helps in the storage and organisation of references and helps to annotate the pdf’s as well. Another beauty of this tool is that it is free of cost.

Paper2: This is another interesting programme and has some very sophisticated features and has its compatibility with pages as well. Unlike Mendeley, it is a paid tool and that too a pricy one. Whether it is worth spending money on or no, well, is an individual answer.

Scrivener: It us a combined tool for word processing as well and project management. The kind of feedback it is getting is nothing less than glorious. On a larger picture, it helps in the arrangement of research papers in separate sections, rearrange them in an easy fashion and keep along the summaries of each write up handy. But , again like paper 2 , it is hard on the wallet, justifying all the important features it has.

These tools do help in making the research process a bit more structured and organised, in a way that it easies the burden on the shoulders of the researcher.

 A lot of ideas and suggestions compiled up as a list of tips that would comprehensively help to keep spirits high during a  PhD journey that is tough.

1. Polish your skills:  use this as an opportunity to polish all those skills that this programme is offering you to focus upon
2. Get an opportunity to earn a stipend: look at it as another constructive means to ear yourself a minimum wage alongside getting to add a worthy degree to your kitty
3. Live the life of a college student: whatever your age be while you are pursuing your PhD, take it as a chance of an extended college life. You can do all that college kids do all the while that you stay on the campus
4. Become a knowledge sucker: perhaps it is the only phase in life when one lives around people evolved with knowledge. Hone as much as you can and become a sucker for knowledge at this time
5. Get research papers published: it is must for a PhD scholar, and because it is compulsory so you would do it. Look at it as an opportunity to participate in conferences in the most exotic locales around the world and your name there in the most reputed of journals
6. Remember that you are paid to read: many a scholars forget that they get paid to read and write. It is an easier source to earn money, than many other around the world. Keep reminding yourself the same
7. Make Friends and expand your circle:  you will need various doses of inspiration and motivation during the tenure. Make inspiring friends  who would keep your spirits high
8. Make your resume meaty:  you would find many a options for joining committees and take up leadership initiatives at various places. Without letting it come in the way of your research, do take up the opportunities and give yourself  the exposure to shine and fly higher
9. Observe your supervisor closely: your supervisor would be an achiever in his own field. Staying in close association with him would help you to understand what he has done differently. Explore a similar  growth path for self
10. Do not waste precious time:  do utilise the time judiciously