US analysis questions link between Twitter success and scholarly merit, raising doubts about the use of social media data in altmetrics.

By Chris Havergal

Twitter: @CHavergalTHE

Twitter has created new hierarchies in academia rather than serving as a democratising force, according to a study that raises questions about the use of social media data to judge research impact.

Researchers who analysed the Twitter activity of 469 postgraduates and academics found that follower counts were significantly skewed towards a small elite of users. The top 1 per cent most popular scholars accounted for 21 per cent of all followers in the study, with an average of 15,059 each.