My Favourite Tipples from an information specialist in the health sector
Jinfo Blog

By Andrew Tattersall

Abstract

My Favourite Tipples are shared by Andy Tattersall, an information specialist at the School of Health and Related Research at The University of Sheffield. He shares his favourite online resources in areas from reference management to research impact.

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I regularly write and give talks about digital academia, learning technology, scholarly communications, open research, web tools, altmetrics and social media. In particular, their application for research, teaching, learning, knowledge management and collaboration. Here are some of the online sources I find particularly useful: 

• Twitter: I'm sure this must get mentioned every time, but really what is there not to like? It is a way of staying ahead of the game, and has given me an advantage over peers who aren't engaging online and it remains a superb tool for knowledge and discussion.

• Google Hangouts: Most of the Google Apps are really useful for me but Hangouts remain a useful gem. I was supposed to be presenting at a conference in Edinburgh the other week but was struck down with some horrible lurgy. Instead I was able to liaise with the conference organisers and deliver my slides and take questions over the web using Hangouts.

• Mendeley: I've been using Mendeley since it appeared on the scene in 2008 and it is a tool that has gone from strength to strength. I like how flexible it is for managing my references and resources and how well it works across the web, mobile and desktops. For anyone writing and collaborating on academic research, it is an excellent tool. I also reviewed it for Jinfo earlier this year.

• The LSE Impact of Social Sciences Blog: I'm not just saying this because I have written for the blog on several occasions but because for me it is the definitive online resource about research impact. That aside it has many useful articles on social media, the web and technology. For anyone with a keen interest in the web and how it is changing academia through the impact agenda and technology, it is a must. The blog offers lots of food for thought, but also plenty of useful advice on applying technology better in research.

For Fun:

• Discogs: The place where I spend way too much time is Discogs, a huge database and marketplace of music. As a lifelong record collector, I am on there every day almost, although I rarely buy.

An article in Jinfo which I found particularly interesting:

• Working in academia and health research, it has to be the articles and reviews in Jinfo's category of Scientific, Technical, Medical Sources. I particularly liked the mini review of Figshare, a tool which has huge potential for the research sharing community and a real champion of open research, something close to my heart.

Contribute Your "My Favourite Tipples"

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