Design and implementation of a social network for laboratory researchers

Abstract EN

Background: One of the ways to reduce the impact of sanctions on health-related issues is to rely on domestic researchers; however, there are obstacles in the way of researchers in Iran.

One of the solutions that can solve their problems is to use a national academic social network.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the procedure of the implementation of an academic social network in a developing country in four stages.

Methods: Given that there has been no previous research in this regard, the present study was the first attempt to design and implement a social network for Iranian health academics.

Therefore, to achieve the goals of this study, various methods will be used to prevent the failure of the project and gather comprehensive information.

This research project will make use of four qualitative studies, one comparative study, one review study, and four quantitative studies.

Results: Results: This study introduces a model for an academic social network for health researchers.

This model consists of four main steps and 13 sub-steps.

It should also be noted that the needs assessment and determination of the usability and performance are among the strengths of this model.

Conclusion: This study faces two main challenges, namely the lack of budget and similar national social networks.

Moreover, the problems of information and communication technology infrastructure in Iran and issues, such as compliance with copyright and privacy, complicated the project.