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Research Briefs

Digital Presence of a Research Center as a Research Dissemination Platform: Reach and Resources

Authors

Authors: Lord SE, Seavey KM, Oren SD, Budney AJ, Marsch LA

Purpose

Researchers described the reach of the website, newsletter, and Facebook and Twitter accounts of the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health (CTBH) to propose a model for web-based research dissemination.

Methods

CTBH launched a website in May 2012, a Twitter account in September 2013, and a Facebook account in August 2014. CTBH began tracking website activity in March 2013. Researchers extracted Google Analytics data for the CTBH website to depict user traffic and behavior between March 1, 2013 and July 17, 2018. Facebook and Twitter post and follower counts represented the reach of the CTBH social media presence. The newsletter distribution service (MailChimp) provides activity reports that depicted the reach of and engagement with the newsletter.

Findings
  • During the data extraction period, 70,331 users initiated 96,995 sessions on the CTBH website.
  • The website audience has grown from the first year of tracking (March 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014: 9,365 users) to the most recent year of tracking (March 1, 2017 to February 28, 2018: 25,288).
  • The CTBH Facebook account has 1,500 followers and the CTBH Twitter account has 577 followers.
  • A growing subscribership has received, and opened, the newsletter, from 337 subscribers receiving (21% opened) the April 2012 newsletter to 1,132 subscribers receiving (34% opened) the December 2017 newsletter.
Relevance
  • The reach of and audience engagement with the CTBH web presence is impressive compared to industry benchmarks.
  • Researchers should consider leveraging the web as a tool for research dissemination to audiences who may not read academic journals.
  • Future research will examine whether web dissemination of research facilitates research translation.
Read More

Lord SE, Seavey KM, Oren SD, Budney AJ, Marsch LA. Digital Presence of a Research Center as a Research Dissemination Platform: Reach and Resources. JMIR Ment Health. 2019;6(4):e11686. doi: 10.2196/11686