Introduction:
Social media use has exploded in popularity over the past decade with over 1.5 billion users on Facebook and 320 million users on Twitter. The aim of this study was to analyze the use of social media by orthopaedic journals and determine whether a relationship exists between social media followers and journal impact factor.
Methods:
The Clarivate Analytics Impact Factor tool was used to identify all orthopaedic journals with a 2022 impact factor of greater than 1.5. We then conducted a query on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to determine which programs had pages on each platform.
Results:
Seventeen journals were included across all orthopaedic subspecialties. Of the 17 journals, 14 (82.4%) had a Facebook page, eight (47%) had an Instagram page, 15 (88.2%) had a Twitter account, and 8 (47%) had a LinkedIn profile. When compiling the number of followers by social media platform, Twitter had the most (177,543), followed by Facebook (149,388), Instagram (81,739), and LinkedIn (77,459). We found a significant correlation between the number of social media followers and journal impact factor (Pearson correlation coefficient [PCC] = 0.67; P = 0.003). When analyzing each social media platform independently, we found a significant correlation between the number of Facebook and Twitter followers and journal impact factor (PCC = 0.54; P = 0.02 and PCC = 0.80; P < 0.001, respectively).
Discussion:
We have shown a notable association between the number of social media followers and a journal's impact factor. With the increasing shift toward online distribution, orthopaedic journals may use our data when evaluating their social media strategy to maintain and potentially increase their exposure and potentially their impact factor.
Social media use has exploded in popularity over the past decade with over 1.5 billion users on Facebook and 320 million users on Twitter.1 Nearly 75% of all Americans use at least one social media platform, rising to over 90% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 years.2 The usage of social media by hospitals and physicians has also grown substantially.3 For the orthopaedic surgeon, social media has been found to assist with disseminating information, improving patient-physician connectivity, and practice building.4,5 Scholarly research has also seen a shift toward online distribution with discussions regarding published articles becoming increasingly digital and rapid after article publication.6,7,8,9 Online scholarly influence in orthopaedics has been found to occur largely on Twitter and Facebook.1
The aim of this study was to analyze the use of social media by orthopaedic journals and determine whether a relationship exists between social media followers and journal impact factor.
Methods
The Clarivate Analytics Impact Factor tool was used to identify all orthopaedic journals with a 2022 impact factor of greater than 1.5. We then conducted a query on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to determine which journals had pages on each platform. Once the social media accounts were identified, we used the first post to provide us with the start date for the account. In addition, we calculated the number of posts and noted the most recent post on the platform. This was repeated for each journal, independently. All social media websites were accessed on November 9, 2022. The data were then compiled into Microsoft Excel. Analyses were conducted using Minitab, and significance was set at P = 0.05.
Results
Seventeen journals were included across all orthopaedic subspecialties (Table 1). Of the 17 journals, 14 (82.4%) had a Facebook Page (Table 2), eight (47%) had an Instagram page (Table 3), 15 (88.2%) had a Twitter account (Table 4), and 8 (47%) had a LinkedIn profile (Table 5). When compiling the number of followers by social media platform, Twitter had the most (177,543), followed by Facebook (149,388), Instagram (81,739), and LinkedIn (77,459).
Table 1.
Included Journals and Associated Impact Factors
| Journal Name | IF 2017-2018 | IF 2018-2019 | IF 2019-2020 | IF 2021-2022 | Mean IF |
| American Journal of Sports Medicine | 6.1 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 6.2 |
| Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 4.5 |
| Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.3 |
| Arthroscopy | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 4.8 |
| Journal of Arthroplasty | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| The Spine Journal | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 3.5 |
| Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Research | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Spine | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.0 |
| Orthopedic Clinics of North America | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| Foot and Ankle International | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 2.7 |
| Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Journal of Hand Surgery | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| The Journal of Knee Surgery | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma | 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 2.2 |
| Clinical Spine Surgery | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 |
IF = impact factor
Table 2.
Included Journals and Facebook Statistics
|
Journal Name |
Date Created | Days Since Last Post | Total Followers | Total Page Likes |
| American Journal of Sports Medicine | May 2011 | 2 | 32,000 | N/A |
| Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery | October 2011 | 2 | 28,953 | 26,794 |
| Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research | May 2011 | 2 | 9,400 | 8,900 |
| Arthroscopy | September 2011 | 2 | 9,200 | 8,400 |
| Journal of Arthroplasty | March 2011 | 5 | 2,300 | 2,100 |
| The Spine Journal | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery | August 2011 | 0 | 6,239 | 5,792 |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Research | June 2011 | 2 | 7,496 | 6,007 |
| Spine | June 2011 | 1,788 | 2,100 | 2,000 |
| Orthopedic Clinics of North America | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Foot and Ankle International | December 2009 | 2 | 6,600 | 6,300 |
| Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | April 2009 | 2 | 36,000 | N/A |
| Journal of Hand Surgery | December 2015 | 5 | 1,100 | 874 |
| The Journal of Knee Surgery | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics | October 2011 | N/A | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma | June 2011 | 1,828 | 2,200 | 2,100 |
| Clinical Spine Surgery | October 2011 | 54 | 4,300 | 4,100 |
| Totals | 149,388 | 74,867 |
Table 3.
Included Journals and Instagram Statistics
|
Journal Name |
Date Created | Days Since Last Post | Number of Posts | Followers |
| American Journal of Sports Medicine | August 2020 | 2 | 403 | 5,366 |
| Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery | March 2019 | 2 | 1742 | 23,700 |
| Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Arthroscopy | September 2019 | 2 | 1788 | 17,700 |
| Journal of Arthroplasty | October 2020 | 5 | 365 | 6,126 |
| The Spine Journal | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Research | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Spine | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Orthopedic Clinics of North America | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Foot and Ankle International | August 2019 | 2 | 796 | 4,973 |
| Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | July 2014 | 7 | 712 | 20,900 |
| Journal of Hand Surgery | December 2015 | 6 | 368 | 2974 |
| The Journal of Knee Surgery | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Clinical Spine Surgery | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Totals | 6174 | 81,739 |
Table 4.
Included Journals and Twitter Statistics
|
Journal Name |
Date Created | Days Since Last Post | Number of Posts | Followers |
| American Journal of Sports Medicine | November 2012 | 2 | 1,820 | 41,400 |
| Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery | March 2009 | 2 | 10,300 | 37,800 |
| Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research | May 2011 | 2 | 5,741 | 13,100 |
| Arthroscopy | August 2012 | 4 | 4,032 | 19,600 |
| Journal of Arthroplasty | June 2017 | 3 | 1,538 | 10,700 |
| The Spine Journal | January 2010 | 2 | 4,559 | 10,600 |
| Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery | May 2012 | 1323 | 757 | 1,602 |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Research | August 2021 | 2 | 492 | 948 |
| Spine | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Orthopedic Clinics of North America | September 2011 | 2 | 443 | 2,826 |
| Foot and Ankle International | May 2019 | 2 | 847 | 2,200 |
| Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | May 2010 | 2 | 516 | 19,700 |
| Journal of Hand Surgery | June 2014 | 3 | 2,852 | 4,157 |
| The Journal of Knee Surgery | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics | October 2011 | 2,252 | 2,814 | 151 |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma | June 2011 | 210 | 5,182 | 12,100 |
| Clinical Spine Surgery | October 2011 | 551 | 3,079 | 659 |
| Totals | 44,972 | 177,543 |
Table 5.
Included Journals and LinkedIn Statistics
|
Journal Name |
Date Created | Days Since Last Post | Number of Posts | Followers |
| American Journal of Sports Medicine | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery | N/A | 7 | N/A | 23,751 |
| Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research | N/A | 93 | N/A | 429 |
| Arthroscopy | N/A | 2 | N/A | 1,132 |
| Journal of Arthroplasty | N/A | 4 | N/A | 548 |
| The Spine Journal | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Research | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Spine | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Orthopedic Clinics of North America | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Foot and Ankle International | N/A | 2 | N/A | 10,081 |
| Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | N/A | 2 | N/A | 41,491 |
| Journal of Hand Surgery | N/A | 245 | N/A | 27 |
| The Journal of Knee Surgery | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Clinical Spine Surgery | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Totals | 77,459 |
The date created and the number of posts are not available.
We found a significant correlation between the number of social media followers and journal impact factor (Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) = 0.67; P = 0.003) (Table 6). We did not find a significant correlation between the number of posts and journal impact factor (PCC = 0.40; P = 0.13). When analyzing each social media platform independently, we found a significant correlation between the number of Facebook and Twitter followers and journal impact factor (PCC = 0.54; P = 0.02 and PCC = 0.80; P < 0.001, respectively). We did not find a significant correlation between the number of Instagram or LinkedIn followers and journal impact factor (PCC = 0.39; P = 0.12 and PCC = 0.23; P = 0.62, respectively).
Table 6.
Journals' Overall Social Media Presence and Impact Factor
| Journal Name | Total followers | Total posts | Mean IF |
| The American Journal of Sports Medicine | 78,766 | 2,223 | 6.2 |
| Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery | 90,453 | 12,042 | 4.5 |
| Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research | 22,500 | 5,741 | 4.3 |
| Arthroscopy | 46,500 | 5,820 | 4.8 |
| Journal of Arthroplasty | 19,126 | 1,903 | 3.8 |
| The Spine Journal | 10,600 | 4,559 | 3.5 |
| Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery | 7,841 | 757 | 3.0 |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Research | 8,444 | 492 | 3.1 |
| Spine | 2,100 | 0 | 3.0 |
| Orthopedic Clinics of North America | 2,826 | 443 | 2.6 |
| Foot and Ankle International | 13,773 | 1,643 | 2.7 |
| Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | 76,600 | 1,228 | 2.6 |
| Journal of Hand Surgery | 8,231 | 3,220 | 2.1 |
| The Journal of Knee Surgery | 0 | 0 | 2.0 |
| Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics | 1,651 | 2,814 | 2.1 |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma | 14,300 | 5,182 | 2.2 |
| Clinical Spine Surgery | 4,959 | 3,079 | 1.8 |
IF = impact factor
Discussion
The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between an orthopaedic journal's impact factor and their activity on social media. We did find a statistically significant correlation between impact factor and the number of social media followers.
A journal's impact factor is used to sort or rank it by relative importance.10 Journals with high impact factors publish articles that are cited more often than journals with lower impact factors.11 The journal impact factor is calculated by taking into account the average number of times articles from the journal are cited over 2 years.11 It is specifically calculated by dividing the number of citations by the total number of articles published in the previous 2 years.11 The greater exposure a journal has, the more likely their articles will be cited, increasing the journal's impact factor. Our results support this because there is a positive correlation between the number of followers on social media and a journal's impact factor. This is likely because of the increased exposure the journal receives because of a larger social media following.
A recently published study identified the top 100 social media influencers within orthopaedics and related their social media influence to academic influence.5 They found that social media influence was highly concordant with academic productivity as measured by the h-index.5 Our findings are similar as we found that a larger number of social media followers are associated with higher journal impact factors.
Evaniew et al1 published a study aimed to determine which types of online activities are most prevalent in orthopaedics, to identify potential factors associated with higher counts of online mentions and standard citations, and to explore a complementary approach to measuring overall scholarly influence on the basis of online activity and citations. They found that online scholarly influence in orthopaedics is dominated by activity on Twitter and Facebook and is associated with a longer time since publication, higher journal impact factor, less risk of bias, and higher author h-index values. In this study, the authors included randomized controlled trials and did assess individual journals independently. Regardless, our findings are similar because Facebook and Twitter are the main sites used by orthopaedic journals and an increased number of followers on those platforms are associated with a higher journal impact factor.
The main strength of our study is its novelty. To our knowledge, this is the first and only study in the literature to evaluate social media activity by medical journals. Furthermore, we are the first study to associate the number of followers on social media with an increased journal impact factor. The major weakness of our study is, although our findings are statistically significant, a journal's impact factor is likely a result of many factors, not just a following on social media.
In conclusion, we detail the use of social media by the top 17 orthopaedic journals across multiple social media platforms. In addition, we have demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between the overall number of social media followers and a journal's impact factor. Specifically, an increased number of followers on Facebook and Twitter are correlated with a higher impact factor. With the increasing shift toward online distribution, orthopaedic journals may use our data when evaluating their social media strategy to maintain and potentially increase their exposure and potentially their impact factor.
Contributor Information
Matthew S. Kerr, Email: mattkerrmd@gmail.com.
Jonathan D. Schwartzman, Email: jdsfence@gmail.com.
Frank R. Avilucea, Email: favilucea@gmail.com.
Mark W. Munro, Email: mark.munro@orlandohealth.com.
Joshua R. Langford, Email: joshua.langford@orlandohealth.com.
George J. Haidukewych, Email: george.haidukewych@orlandohealth.com.
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