Your press release is out there in the world, you might have gotten some interest from journalists, so how to see whether people are interested in your story and what they think about it?
I check where our findings end up and who they might have reached
Tracking where the story ends up can be helpful in case you need to report outreach as part of grants or to your university. It can also be of interest to see how your research is being perceived and what connections other people might make.
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To check whether your story was covered in any news outlets, the easiest way is to check Google News. To narrow results down, especially if a bit of time has passed, you could add the name of the authors. |
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Most coverage will link back to your scientific article. Another way to track attention therefore can be Altmetrics, which provides an overview of which news, blogs, and social media link to your study. |
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Tracking attention on social media has become a bit more complicated: there are different services, and some do not have a straightforward search function. One alternative could be to check posts by science journalists. |
What to expect in terms of coverage?
Most reports will be good. I think the mostly widely read stories are those by journalists that make an effort to ensure that their story is correct. Many other outlets publish the press release in full or quote from the release. I will only know about the bad reports after they have been published so there is not much I can do about them. Though, all of these reports rely on information I originally release - the paper, the press release, email replies, or phone interviews. So it is worth spending effort on the material that I can control.
Reactions on social media are similarly difficult to control. It might be worth engaging in exchanges, but it is worth to be aware that this is more difficult for some individuals in particular given the risks of backlash, and that you do not owe anyone your time who does not interact in an honest fashion.