Scientific speech on Twitter in the first quarter of the pandemic in Ecuador

Abstract

This research identifies the Twitter accounts of renowned Ecuadorian scientists to make an analysis of scientific discourse and published content, with the purpose of sharing scientific information on this social network. It identifies the topics addressed by each user during the period from April to June 2020, the first quarter
of the health crisis in Ecuador caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a quantitative study, variables corresponding to the digital platform are taken into account, such as the use of hashtags, mentions, and audiovisual material. The content analysis classifies the publications of scientists in order to assess whether they comply with essential axes of scientific dissemination such as data verification, exposition,
and argumentation.