From penning research papers to applying for grants, writing is an integral part of a scientist’s career. With this foundation, launching a blog or posting results on Twitter should be smooth sailing, right? Not so fast. Stepping into social media may be a great way to spread the word about your research, but there is also potential to hurt your career, by damaging your chances of winning a patent, for example. If you’re not careful, you may also unwittingly harm relationships with potential collaborators and even tarnish your professional reputation. Luckily, most often, all it takes for scientists to avoid the pitfalls and fully reap the benefits of writing online is being aware of what could potentially go wrong. Read More