Use of a social media platform for undergraduate medical writing: experience from a developing country

Abstract

Introduction While scientific writing is an important skill undergraduates need to develop, many find it to be challenging in the early parts of their journey, as opportunities to improve and publish their academic writing are scarce. Although many scientific journals use social media platforms to increase their accessibility, their use in undergraduate writing is not documented. Methods The medical student journal "The Apprentice" and its Facebook platform were established in 2020 by a volunteer group of medical students representing all academic years. The Facebook journal publishes case reports, scientific papers, posts of medical interest, and posts containing matters of medical education and perspectives. Written work submitted to the journal is reviewed by the editorial board, which consists of a volunteer group of students. The final review is done by the volunteer staff advisors. Subsequently, work is published on the Facebook platform. The three-year progress of the journal was evaluated by looking at total likes, interactions, and reaches of the published posts. Results Over a period of three years, there were 3,344 followers and 3,269 likes. There were 202 posts, with a mean of 333 reaches per post and 44 mean engagements. Most of the journal page followers were in the age range of 25-34 years, which coincides with the majority of undergraduates in Sri Lankan medical schools. Additionally, they were geographically centered around the three main universities in the country. The highest reach and engagement were seen with the case reports (reach: 995) and original articles (reach: 1980) posted on the page. Conclusions This study demonstrates the ability to use a social media-based student journal to bridge the gap between informal learning and formal academic publishing, especially in a resource-poor setting. "The Apprentice" Facebook journal became popular among medical undergraduates in a short time.