‘Potential’ to share more research on ‘underused’ YouTube

Universities should formally recognise academics’ work building successful YouTube channels to allow for the significant potential growth of scientific research on the platform, a new paper has urged.

Researchers say the video site’s distinct user base and content style was understudied as an area for engaging with scholarly output – even within the sphere of altmetrics data, which primarily focuses on platforms such as X.

“Understanding YouTube's unique role in the altmetrics landscape could offer deeper insights into the multi-dimensional nature of how research is communicated and perceived in the digital age,” says a paper published in Scientometrics.

The paper analysed 11,332 YouTube channels that posted more than 35,000 unique videos referencing research publications in their video descriptions.

It found that a quarter of the channels focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Other regular topics included health, fitness and well-being, and popular science.

Channels categorised as opinions and commentary were those using research papers to promote unscientific beliefs, or attempt to counteract fake beliefs, such as the flat Earth theory.

Co-author Olga Zagovora, a researcher at the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, told Times Higher Education that research publications were gradually becoming more visible on YouTube, with its interactive nature ideal for engaging viewers in discussions.

“YouTube indeed offers significant potential for the growth of scientific dissemination,” said Dr Zagovora.

“The platform allows for a wide reach, potentially engaging a global audience far beyond traditional academic boundaries.”

Videos in the popular science section were found to be the most popular, but the study found that these were predominantly run by large media groups or professional YouTube teams, not academics.

And though academics, research institutions and publishers made up a combined 44 per cent of the paper’s sample of channels, those behind the most popular videos were predominantly by professional YouTubers, as well as commercial media.

The paper says, despite being one of the most visited platforms on the internet, YouTube is underused by academics for disseminating research and the disparity in popularity can be explained by the substantial resources required for effective promotion.

In addition, Dr Zagovora said that traditional metrics for academic success and career progression at most institutions ignore activities such creating and maintaining a YouTube channel.

“While these activities enhance public engagement and education, they do not typically count towards academic promotions or grant evaluations, which can disincentivise academics from investing time in such platforms,” she said.

“Unless such impacts are formally recognised and rewarded within academic structures, individual researchers may find little institutional support for these efforts.”

She also said that building a significant online following can also lead to opportunities outside the traditional academic realm, including book deals, public speaking engagements or consulting opportunities.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com