Social media handbook for academics

Updated 1/1/23

I have a new book. Titled "Social media handbook for academics", it is not exactly new as it came out in February 2020 and I had planned to get it into various bookstores in Malaysia. However, the Covid19 pandemic scuttled all my plans. 

We had hoped that the publisher, Penerbit UMT, would help in distributing the book but they did not. It was not even listed on their website. If you do decide to publish with them, be aware that you would have to handle the distribution and promotion of the book yourself. I will write a post about the whole process and a review of their services soon. The book is now listed on the Penerbit UMT site as well as on Shopee at a bargain price of just RM17. 

I co-authored this book with Dr. Ezlika Ghazali and Rahil Mutum. This handbook is based on some articles/tutorials I wrote for the Wolfson Research Exchange website, University of Warwick Library, way back in 2011. The original articles/tutorials were directed specifically at academics and researchers. Those articles and tutorials have now been updated and extended to reflect the various developments and updates in social media since 2011. 

The current handbook discusses the use of social media for research and academic purposes including, how these tools can be used for personal branding by academics. This handbook focuses specifically on the more popular and better-known social media channels, namely Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram as well as blogs. We hope this work would inspire academics to engage more widely with social media channels. 

We wrote this handbook in such a way that the information provided is short and succinct in an easy-to-understand language. 

It has a total of 7 chapters as follows: 

Chapter 1 : Why Should Academics be on Social Media?

Chapter 2 : Why Should Academics Blog?

Chapter 3 : Facebook for Researchers

Chapter 4 : Using LinkedIn for Networking and Personal Branding

Chapter 5 : Using Twitter for Research and To Boost Your Research Profile

Chapter 6 : Leveraging the Power of Instagram

Chapter 7 : Concluding Thoughts

Should academic researchers market their papers to create a wider reach?

 This is an updated version of a post I wrote on Quora way back in January 2018.

My answer is always "Yes!"

When I say ‘market’, I would like to point out that I am referring to the academic definition and not the commonly held perception of marketing as "selling". 

According to the American Marketing Association (AMA, 2012):

"Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large."

According to a study in 2007, half of the academic papers are only read by their authors, referees and journal editors. I guess Academics like me have ourselves to blame. We have tended to focus too much on theoretical contributions and also limit the discussions mostly to the academic community. However, changes in the way our Key Performance Indices (KPIs) are measured have resulted in the way we view research. Most educational institutions of higher learning which have a research focus, now require you to show the “impact” of the research. This impact includes evidence on how the results were circulated on mass media, the implementation by industry or target audiences, etc.

The problem is that many academic are not media savvy and do not really know how to market their research. Moreover, they tend to move on to the next project once they end the previous one. Happy that they have a conference proceeding or two and a journal paper from the research and they move on to the next one. Again this is due to pressure from institutions to churn out research papers regularly to meet KPIs, University rankings and quality certifications.

Coming back to the definition, we can market our research by looking at how we can create value from our research. We also need to be media savvy and should reach out to the general public. Many of us are now active on social media and sharing our research and knowledge with everyone who cares to listen and we are also finding out what people think about our research. Engaging and collaborating with organisations (including NGOs, Governments and Corporates) allows us to fine-tune our research to meet and satisfy specific needs and requirements.

Hopefully, this will increase the reach of our research.

How do some academics publish several papers annually

I received a recent notification from Quora and apparantly my most popular post on the platform was  a post I wrote way back in June 2018 for the question: "How do  some people publish several academic papers a year?" Another discussion on a Facebook page on the same topic reminded me of this old Quora answer and how relevant it still is.

The post is my most popular answer on Quora which has been viewed 79.8K times with 248 upvotes, indicating that this is indeed something that a lot of people and I am guessing mostly academics are interested in or worried about. There were some very interesting comments as well including some which highlighted the dark side.

So here is my updated version of that answer:

I used to ask the same question myself as I was definitely curious how some academics could publish 10 or more papers in a year. Moreover, some Professors manage to do that in some of the toughest-to-get-in, high-impact, top-tier journals.

 I soon realised that my aim of getting at least one journal paper published annually, was simply just not going to cut it. Talking to a few well published professors, looking at how they worked and analysing their papers, I learnt a lot. Here is what I found out - the top 3 lessons:

1.Working Hard:

Yes, you do have to work hard. We are constantly reading, reviewing, discussing and thinking of research ideas. And you keep on writing and writing and submitting. Last year, I submitted more than 20 papers to various journals. Many were desk rejected by the editors, others were rejected by the reviewers, a few went through to the next review rounds. Now this year, I am seeing the fruits of my hard work as I have had several papers published and others accepted for publication.

2. Working Smart

However, besides working hard, you have to work smart as well. I soon realised that a lot of papers by the top professors are with their students, also a number are in association with other academics. You simply cannot do it alone and highlights the importance of having good students researching under you and networking. 

The idea of the lonely professor working alone in his room does not work anymore. Looking the prolific professors, it is clear that they do not do it alone - it is in collaboration with many other authors and of course, with their students. I know of one PhD student who already has 3 publications even before graduation and all papers are with the supervisors.

3. Reading and Reviewing

I also joined the editorial teams of a few journals and am reviewer to several top ranking journals. Reading and reviewing papers of other academics have actually helped me to improve my own submissions and I can see that my success rates are improving over time.

The dark side of academia

Of course there are several criticisms - that we have become paper churning machines, that we are neglecting teaching and learning, and long-term research are often rejected for less impact short-term research. There are increasingly a number of reports indicating that so many academics are suffering from stress and depression because of the requirement to constantly publish papers and not just any paper, but papers in “high ranking journals”. 

Tenureships, increments, promotions all depend on the number of good publications. In fact, in academia, it is our currency. All academics are aware of the phrase “Publish or Perish”. Unfortunately for academics, it is still the major KPI used for evaluating performance, hirings and for promotions in most Universities throughout the World.

Then there is the dark side of academia. We regularly hear of how certain professors have been suspended or fired from their jobs for ethical issues including plagiarism and fudged research findings. Sometimes they go unpunished because it would involve bringing the institution into disrepute. 

Read my original Quora answer here.

Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) 2019 Marketing Journals List

UPDATE: ABDC Marketing Journal Quality List 2022 here. 

This is a long-overdue post. The latest ABDC list was released on 6 December 2019. Marketing journals are listed under Field of research code: 1505.

There are some interesting and exciting developments and a lot of upward movement. I would say that the ABDC list has proven to more inclusive and more advanced as compared to the CABS (UK) list of marketing journals. 

Journal of Consumer Psychology has been promoted to A* and now there are 11 A* journals as compared to 10 in the previous list. 

There are now 38 A journals in the list, an increase from 29 in the previous list.

In the B list, there are now 60 journals as compared to 44 previously.

However, the number of C journals has become smaller, from 61 previously to just 45 in the new list. 

There are a few completely new entries to the list:

Tobacco Control entered directly as a B journal. 

There are also 6 new entries into the list as C journals:

1. Indian Journal of Marketing 
2. International Journal of Healthcare Management
3. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing
4. Journal of Marketing Analytics
5. Journal of Public Relations Education
6. Communication Research and Practice

The new changes are indicated by '*' behind the journal name. 

A* Journals

1. European Journal of Marketing
2. Industrial Marketing Management
3. International Journal of Research in Marketing
4. Journal of Consumer Psychology*
5. Journal of Consumer Research
6. Journal of Marketing
7. Journal of Marketing Research
8. Journal of Retailing
9. Journal of Service Research
10. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
11. Marketing Science

A Journals

1. Appetite
2. Australasian Marketing Journal *
3. Food Quality and Preference
4. Health Promotion International
5. International Journal of Advertising*
6. International Journal of Bank Marketing*
7. International Journal of Consumer Studies
8. International Journal of Market Research*
9. International Journal of Public Opinion Research*
10. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management*
11. International Marketing Review
12. Journal of Advertising
13. Journal of Advertising Research
14. Journal of Brand Management
15. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
16. Journal of Business Research
17. Journal of Consumer Affairs
18. Journal of Consumer Behaviour*
19. Journal of Consumer Marketing*
20. Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management
21. Journal of Interactive Marketing
22. Journal of International Marketing
23. Journal of Macromarketing
24. Journal of Marketing Management
25. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management*
26. Journal of Product & Brand Management*
27. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing
28. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
29. Journal of Service Theory and Practice
30. Journal of Services Marketing
31. Journal of Strategic Marketing
32. Marketing Intelligence & Planning
33. Marketing Letters
34. Marketing Theory
35. Psychology & Marketing
36. Public Relations Review
37. Quantitative Marketing and Economics
38. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics*

B Journals

1. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal
2. Advances in Consumer Research
3. AMS Review*
4. Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal
5. Consumption, Markets and Culture
6. Corporate Communications 
7. Customer Needs and Solutions
8. Health Marketing Quarterly
9. International Journal of Emerging Markets*
10. International Journal of Enterprise Network Management
11. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing
12. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences*
13. International Journal of Sports Management and Marketing
14. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship
15. International Journal of Strategic Communication*
16. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research
17. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing*
18. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing
19. Journal of Communication Management
20. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior
21. Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising*
22. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
23. Journal of Financial Services Marketing
24. Journal of Food Products Marketing*
25. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing*
26. Journal of Global Marketing*
27. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science*
28. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing*
29. Journal of Interactive Advertising
30. Journal of International Consumer Marketing*
31. Journal of International Food and Agribusiness Marketing*
32. Journal of Islamic Marketing*
33. Journal of Marketing Behaviour
34. Journal of Marketing Channels*
35. Journal of Marketing Communications
36. Journal of Marketing Education
37. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education*
38. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice
39. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing
40. Journal of Political Marketing*
41. Journal of Promotion Management
42. Journal of Public Affairs
43. Journal of Public Relations Research
44. Journal of Relationship Marketing*
45. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing*
46. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship*
47. Journal of Revenue & Pricing Management
48. Journal of Social Marketing
49. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research *
50. PRism
51. Public Relations Inquiry*
52. Qualitative Market Research: an international journal
53. Service Business *
54. Service Industries Journal
55. Services Marketing Quarterly
56. Social Marketing Quarterly*
57. Sport Marketing Quarterly
58. Young Consumers
59. British Food Journal*
60. Tobacco Control* (New entry)

C Journals

1. Advances in International Marketing
2. Advertising & Society Review
3. Arts and the Market (formerly Arts Marketing)
4. Asian Journal of Business Research
5. Asian Journal of Marketing (SING)
6. Canadian Journal of Marketing Research
7. Indian Journal of Marketing * (New Entry)
8. International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management
9. International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing
10. International Journal of Healthcare Management* (New Entry)
11. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising
12. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing* (New Entry)
13. International Journal of Sustainable Design
14. International Journal of Technology Management and Sustainable Development
15. International Journal of Technology Marketing
16. International Journal of Trade and Global Markets
17. Irish Marketing Review
18. Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education (JAME)
19. Journal of Advertising Education
20. Journal of Customer Behavior
21. Journal of Database Marketing & Customer Strategy Management
22. Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing
23. Journal of Empirical Generalisations in Marketing Science
24. Journal of Euromarketing
25. Journal of Food Distribution Research
26. Journal of Hospitality Application and Research
27. Journal of International Marketing and Exporting
28. Journal of International Marketing and Marketing Research
29. Journal of Marketing & Social Research 
30. Journal of Marketing Analytics* (New Entry)
31. Journal of Medical Marketing
32. Journal of Public Relations Education* (New Entry)
33. Journal of Research for Consumers
34. Journal of Selling
35. Journal of Services Research
36. Journal of Sponsorship
37. Journal of Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing
38. Marketing Bulletin
39. Marketing Education Review
40. Marketing Health Services
41. Research in Consumer Behavior: a research annual
42. Review of Marketing Science
43. Revista Portuguesa de Marketing
44. The Marketing Review
45. Communication Research and Practice* (New Entry)

Free business case studies online

This is an update on an answer I wrote on Quora in 2016. As a lecturer in a business school, I often use business case studies in my classes. They are really useful to help students to apply the theories and concepts which they have learnt in class to actual business case studies. 

I always emphasise that there is no wrong or right answer but rather a bad or good answer and often this is based on their justification and analysis of the information provided in the case studies. So far, I have edited three case study books, namely: 

1.  Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses: Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value (2019). Ghazali, E., Mutum, D.S., Rashid, M., Ahmed, J.U. (Eds), Springer. 
2. Services Marketing Cases in Emerging Markets: An Asian Perspective (2017, Ebook came out in 2016), Roy, S.; Mutum, D. and Nguyen, B. (Eds), Springer. 
3.  Marketing Cases from Emerging Markets (2014). Mutum, D., Roy, S. and Kipnis, E. (Eds), Springer. 

There are also several free sources on the net but the quality of cases vary greatly. 

For MBA case studies, here are two great sources: 

1. Copenhagen Business School (CBS) collection 

New cases are added regularly. Though I mostly use marketing related case studies, they have several interdisciplinary cases. 

2. MIT Sloan School of Management 

Cases classified under entrepreneurship, leadership/ethics, operations management, strategy, sustainability, and system dynamics. Do you know of any other free sources of case studies?