Digital Echoes of Science: A Systematic Review on the Reach, Impact, and Integrity of Peer-Reviewed Research on Social Media

Social media platforms such as Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, YouTube, and TikTok have rapidly emerged as influential channels for scholarly communication. They enhance the visibility and immediacy of peer-reviewed research beyond traditional journals, democratising access while raising concerns regarding accuracy, misrepresentation, and integrity. Despite their expanding role, systematic evidence integrating the dimensions of reach, impact, and integrity of research disseminated through these platforms remains limited. This review synthesises peer-reviewed studies examining how research articles are disseminated (“reach”), how such dissemination influences scholarly and societal outcomes (“impact”), and what risks or challenges arise regarding accuracy, ethics, and credibility (“integrity”) when research circulates on social media. Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and communication/media databases between January 2010 and July 2025. Studies were included if they reported data on dissemination, altmetrics, citation impact, audience engagement, or integrity risks, while non-peer-reviewed commentaries, opinion pieces, and conference abstracts were excluded. Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria after screening 1,278 records, of which 74 full-texts were reviewed. Twitter/X (n=15) and Facebook (n=9) dominated as dissemination platforms, with Twitter most strongly correlated with academic visibility. Altmetric attention scores consistently predicted future citations, particularly in biomedical sciences. LinkedIn (n=6) and ResearchGate (n=7) supported professional networking but showed weaker links to citation growth, while YouTube (n=3) and TikTok (n=2) demonstrated strong outreach potential but heightened risks of oversimplification. Challenges identified included misinterpretation of findings, algorithmic distortion, amplification of predatory journals, and ethical risks of public miscommunication. Overall, social media extends the reach and can amplify the impact of peer-reviewed research, yet its integrity remains vulnerable to distortion and misuse. Strengthening governance, promoting digital literacy, and encouraging ethical dissemination practices are essential, while future research should prioritise cross-platform comparisons, longitudinal designs, and monitoring tools to ensure trustworthy science communication in digital ecosystems.