Social networking sites are communication and information technologies which can facilitate the interaction between professors and students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of social networks for learning purposes among medical and paramedical sciences students in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (northeastern Iran). A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2017 and the research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire based on a literature review. The results showed that social networks such as Telegram (3.44 ± 1.27 out of 5) and Instagram (1.83 ± 1.17) were the most frequently used social networks. On the other hand, Snapchat (1.04 ± 0.22) and Flickr (1.05 ± 0.31) were the least used social networks for learning purposes. The findings of the study showed that medical students have problems in using social networks for learning purposes. Familiarizing students with scientific and professional social networks such as ResearchGate and Linkedin and creating dedicated social networks, rather than public social networks, designed to achieve educational goals can resolve many problems.
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