Influence of academic social networking sites on research productivity of library and information science lecturers in Nigerian universities

Abstract

This paper is an overview of the influence of academic social networking sites and management policy on research productivity of library and information science lecturers in Nigerian universities which was anchored on two specific objectives. The paper examined issues relating to the influences of the use of academic social networking sites on research productivity of lecturers identified include: management of an online persona, diffusion of studies, collaboration, information management, and measurement of impact. Outcomes of the study showed the influence of management policy on lecturers’ research productivity to thus include: organisation’s research objectives; decentralization; leadership; support for research; policy regimes to motivate lecturers' research activities; and resources. It uses the conceptual and documentary method by using the various related literature to achieve the two stated objectives. Based on the identified factors, the paper recommends the LIS Lecturers commitment to utlisation of academic social networking sites for research visibility and formulation of management timely review of university policies on research productivity of the lecturers among others. The paper conclude that academic social networking sites and university management policies impact research output by LIS lecturers, influencing visibility and encouraging research. And recommends creating social environments that are appropriate for academic purposes networking sites and implementing management policies to make research output more visible. Academic staff should actively utilize academic social networking for research productivity, acquiring necessary ICT and information literacy skills. University administration should also establish guidelines requiring LIS instructors to have profiles on these platforms, benefiting both the university and the instructors