From Research to Retweets—Exploring the Role of Educational Twitter (X) Communities in Promoting Science Communication and Evidence-Based Teaching

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The study is impressively detailed and meaningful, demonstrating thorough research, meticulously conducted and reported. Each step of the research process is accurately described. However, I have a few observations for the authors to consider when revising the manuscript. My main concern is the lack of an appropriate theoretical framework to guide the design research. I recommend clarifying the relationship between the EBT (Evidence-Based Teaching) approach and the specific research variables investigated in this study.

In addition, I recommend exploring how the limited functionality of X compared to the former Twitter might affect its future use within teacher communities. It's important to provide a more comprehensive analysis of this aspect, especially given the promising replication of the study by other researchers. This expanded discussion would greatly enhance the understanding of X's practical applications and limitations in educational settings.

Finally, on page 3, line 125, please explain what TWLZ is. This is the first time the reader will encounter this term other than in the abstract.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the opportunity to review this paper. This is a very good paper that provides a comprehensive and thorough analysis of teachers' engagement with Twitter (X) in the German setting. The literature review is detailed, and the research methodology clearly explained. The findings and discussion are of scholarly significance. I have the following suggestions: 

1. The term 'evidence-based teaching', while popular, can be problematic, and is sometimes used to refer to limited research that focuses only on positivistic studies. I think perhaps the authors should note this - it certainly doesn't appear to be the kind of research they are discussing. 

2. Similarly, the use of science in referring to teaching practices might be confusing. I would suggest using education sciences to differentiate it from the harder physical sciences, which most people might assume. 

3. I think more discussion about the limitations of twitter as a communication medium might be valuable. There has been a lot written about educaiton policy development on twitter and also how it can be an anti-social place for educators, rather than a productive one. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf