In fact, misinformation has become such a concern globally in recent years that nearly a quarter of academics (23%) now see publicly countering it as one of their primary roles in society, compared to just 16% who said this was the case before the pandemic.Īlongside supporting the landmark survey by Economist Impact, Elsevier partnered with leading science and research organisations(ii) to bring together world-renowned experts, academic leaders and early career researchers to explore the impact of the pandemic on researchers and to identify potential areas of action to help the research community and enhance confidence in research.Įconomist Impact has combined the findings from the global survey with the insights from the extensive stakeholder dialogue to develop recommendations, which are set out in the ‘Confidence in research: researchers in the spotlight’ report published today. Half of all researchers surveyed (51%) say they feel a responsibility to engage in debate online and over two thirds (69%) believe the pandemic has increased the importance of separating quality research from misinformation. This is against a background of nearly a third (32%) of respondents having experienced, or knowing a close colleague who has experienced abuse after posting research online. Fewer than one in five researchers (18%) participating in the study feel highly confident in communicating their findings on social media. As a result, many say they now lack confidence in their ability to communicate their findings to the public in this new environment. More than half of respondents expressed concern about the challenges of over-simplification (52%) and the politicisation of research (56%) because of increased public attention and social media focus on research and the research process. The study also reveals that more than half of researchers (52%) feel the pandemic increased the importance of publishing research early, prior to peer review, and many – particularly women, early career researchers and those in Global South countries – feel the pandemic has widened inequalities in, and access to, funding in their fields. The full report includes recommendations for potential solutions from a Global Expert Panel of researchers, academic leaders, science organisations and policy makers.īeing published in a peer-reviewed journal is the most important marker of reliability according to 74% of researchers surveyed. But only 38% think that better public understanding of research will be a legacy of the pandemic.(i)Ĭonducted by Economist Impact and supported by Elsevier, a global leader in scientific publishing and information analytics, the report combines the findings from a global survey of over 3,000 scientists, scholars and researchers on how the pandemic has affected the practice of undertaking and communicating research in the face of increased public scrutiny. You can download it via the link below.The landmark ‘Confidence in research: researchers in the spotlight’ report published today finds that nearly two thirds of scientific researchers surveyed (63%) feel the pandemic has increased public attention on research. It lays out key issues on which local scrutineers (councillors sitting on scrutiny committees and the officers who support them) can pose questions to those with decision-making responsibility.
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