• Communicate in short messages (called tweets) in 280 characters or less.
• Share text, images, videos and web links from a tweet.
• Discover new audiences and follow them to subscribe to their tweets.
• Audiences will engage by following you, liking and commenting on your tweet.

• Choose the right username. This is the name that you’ll be known as on Twitter
• Write a short bio that explains your research in lay terms
• Upload a photo of you, not a logo
• Direct new audiences to a project website or blog by including a link
• Follow University branding naming guidelines

• Type a keyword into the search bar and get related ‘people’ and ‘tweet’ results
• Look for co-authors and colleagues at other institutions
• Recruit research participants.
• Many funders, journals and professional bodies will have a Twitter presence
• Follow @UniKent
• Find links to academic schools, central departments and colleagues
• Read profiles before you ‘follow’ to make sure they’re relevant and active.

Use the accessible content checklist to create a blog that is quicker and easier for everyone to understand and use, regardless of individal need. Making your online content accessibleis also a legal rquirement for universities. It's simple to do and makes a big difference.  

• Photographs of people can be considered personal data. Ask for written consent to use photographs and archive this information for the future.
• Different types of material have their own copyright frameworks. Read the University’s copyright policy and guidelines and contact copyright@kent.ac.uk for advice.

• Introduce yourself by sending your first tweet
• Use the retweet button to share someone else’s tweet
• Your tweets may be shared by your followers and beyond
• Share anything from a comment, image, gif or video to links to blogs, research webpages, articles, survey, and more! 
• Want to share a URL in under 280 characters? Use Bitly to get a shortened version.

• Engage with your audience to keep them interested in your research
• Like a tweet by pressing the heart button
• Ask for opinions when you share your next post
• Set your followers a challenge so they actively engage with your work
• Respond to comments or direct messages to show you appreciate feedback
• Follow other people and engage with their content.

Click the button below to email the Research and Scholarly Communication team about social media for researchers.