Skip to main content
Scientific American

January 1, 2015

1 min read

Different Research Papers Score Big with Scientists and the Public

Twitter, mainstream media and academic blogs focus on surprisingly different scientific subjects

By Mark Fischetti

Hundreds of research papers are published every day worldwide. But which articles are most discussed and in which circles? To find out, Altmetric in London traced how often papers were noted in 14 digital channels, ranging from the serious (5,000 research blogs and Mendeley, an academic citation network) to the trendy (Twitter, Facebook) and everything in between (including 1,000 news outlets). Altmetric poured data for 2014 into an algorithm that created scores; the top 200 articles are mapped here. The results reveal a divide: the papers discussed most in serious channels (bluish circles, which trend to the left of the page) are different from those discussed most on social networks (red, orange and yellow, which trend to the right). (Scientific American is part of Macmillan, which is an investor in Altmetric.)

None

High-ranking subjects on academic sites included flaws in research, human cells, how the brain works and medical advances. Social media favored papers on scientific errors, the solar system and the universe, and health.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

 

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ONLINE
Detailed rankings can be seen at ScientificAmerican.com/jan2015/graphic-science

Mark Fischetti has been a senior editor at Scientific American for 17 years and has covered sustainability issues, including climate, weather, environment, energy, food, water, biodiversity, population, and more. He assigns and edits feature articles, commentaries and news by journalists and scientists and also writes in those formats. He edits History, the magazine's department looking at science advances throughout time. He was founding managing editor of two spinoff magazines: Scientific American Mind and Scientific American Earth 3.0. His 2001 freelance article for the magazine, "Drowning New Orleans," predicted the widespread disaster that a storm like Hurricane Katrina would impose on the city. His video What Happens to Your Body after You Die?, has more than 12 million views on YouTube. Fischetti has written freelance articles for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian, Technology Review, Fast Company, and many others. He co-authored the book Weaving the Web with Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, which tells the real story of how the Web was created. He also co-authored The New Killer Diseases with microbiologist Elinor Levy. Fischetti is a former managing editor of IEEE Spectrum Magazine and of Family Business Magazine. He has a physics degree and has twice served as the Attaway Fellow in Civic Culture at Centenary College of Louisiana, which awarded him an honorary doctorate. In 2021 he received the American Geophysical Union's Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism, which celebrates a career of outstanding reporting on the Earth and space sciences. He has appeared on NBC's Meet the Press, CNN, the History Channel, NPR News and many news radio stations. Follow Fischetti on X (formerly Twitter) @markfischetti

More by Mark Fischetti
Scientific American Magazine Vol 312 Issue 1This article was originally published with the title “Sass vs. Substance” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 312 No. 1 (), p. 86
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0115-86
View This Issue