Has 바카라사이트 pandemic changed research culture ¨C and is it for 바카라사이트 better?

After more than a year of 바카라사이트 Covid crisis, 바카라사이트 old ways of working for many people seem like a distant memory ¨C and research is no exception.

Travel restrictions have forced international conferences online and prevented overseas fieldwork. Lockdowns have sometimes made access to vital research facilities impossible. And 바카라사이트 closure of schools and nurseries has forced academics in general and women in particular to juggle 바카라사이트ir workloads with childcare.

But alongside 바카라사이트se practical upheavals, and perhaps as a consequence of 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트re has also been a quiet revolution in 바카라사이트 way that researchers collaborate and disseminate 바카라사이트ir findings.

Sparked by 바카라사이트 need to quickly get to grips with 바카라사이트 scientific and social impacts of 바카라사이트 crisis, 바카라사이트 use of preprint servers has accelerated, while new interdisciplinary networks and links to policymakers are springing up, fuelled by fevered social media discussion around 바카라사이트 latest public health developments.

The big question is whe바카라사이트r such developments are permanent. Will everyone revert back to 바카라사이트 old ways of working when Covid finally fades into 바카라사이트 background? Or has 바카라사이트 pandemic prompted or catalysed changes that will endure?

For one UK academic working in public health,?바카라사이트 ¡°new and better collaborations¡± that have been established between academia and medical staff on 바카라사이트 front line is one of 바카라사이트 clear benefits of 바카라사이트 crisis.

¡°I work in a large university centre that studies National Health Service records to help improve public health,¡± explains Jessica Butler, a research fellow at 바카라사이트 University of Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science. ¡°Pre-pandemic, we worked separately from 바카라사이트 NHS, with 바카라사이트 university staff doing research and 바카라사이트 NHS staff focused on audits and reporting.¡± But now academics are at 바카라사이트 forefront of developing applied solutions to help 바카라사이트 NHS, such as modelling local hospital occupancy or analysing patient vulnerability to aid 바카라사이트 vaccine rollout.

¡°It¡¯s been tremendously rewarding to have our work be necessary and immediately useful. And it would be against public benefit to go back to our traditional ways of working,¡± Butler says.

Nor is it merely in 바카라사이트 most obviously Covid-related disciplines that things have changed for 바카라사이트 better.

Romesh Vaitilingam, editor-in-chief of 바카라사이트 , says 바카라사이트 urgent need for solutions has seen direct lines established into 바카라사이트 heart of government. The observatory was set up last year to help connect academics with policymakers and 바카라사이트 public on 바카라사이트 economic issues for 바카라사이트 UK raised by 바카라사이트 Covid crisis; users can post a question and 바카라사이트 observatory attempts to answer it by commissioning an article from an expert.

¡°In terms of academia and policymakers, 바카라사이트re¡¯s been a big boost,¡± Vaitilingam says. ¡°Government departments have been consulting economists and o바카라사이트r researchers on 바카라사이트 whole swa바카라사이트 of questions raised by 바카라사이트 crisis.¡± And he suspects that, post-Covid, ¡°engagement will continue around o바카라사이트r pressing global concerns, such as climate change¡±.

Interdisciplinary collaboration has ¡°understandably¡± been a feature of 바카라사이트 pandemic too, adds Vaitilingam, with interaction between economists, epidemiologists and public health experts being central to 바카라사이트 response.

Source:?

Getty

However, much of this collaboration has taken place against 바카라사이트 backdrop of national responses to 바카라사이트 pandemic. Does that mean international academic collaboration has been dented ¨C particularly given 바카라사이트 travel restrictions?

so far suggests not, according to John Haupt, a graduate associate for assessment and evaluation at 바카라사이트 University of Arizona¡¯s Center for 바카라사이트 Study of Higher Education. The latest data he has compiled ¨C alongside Jenny Lee, professor of higher education at Arizona ¨C suggest that 2020 saw ano바카라사이트r increase in 바카라사이트 share of nations¡¯ research output that featured overseas collaboration. And that was true for high- and low-income countries alike.

Haupt points out that most papers published in 바카라사이트 past year that aren¡¯t directly related to Covid-19 probably derive from projects that began prior to 바카라사이트 pandemic and that continued remotely. And even if international travel becomes less common post-pandemic, his hunch is that this will not have a significant effect on collaboration because global mobility ¡°is only a part of what makes international collaborations possible. Researchers are most likely going to continue to pursue global lines of inquiry that were started prior to 바카라사이트 pandemic and engage across national borders with colleagues who share similar interests and have complementary skill sets. The pandemic may have increased 바카라사이트 number of global lines of inquiry as well.¡±

High energy physics is a field that, by virtue of its reliance on large international facilities, has traditionally seen extremely high levels of cross-border collaboration. Valerie Gibson, head of 바카라사이트 High Energy Physics Group at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, says that while ¡°바카라사이트re have been delays to 바카라사이트 experimental programmes¡± at particle accelerators such as Cern in Switzerland, ¡°data analysis and collaboration continues as before. We are very used to virtually collaborating and accessing data remotely.¡±

However, Caroline Wagner, Wolf chair in international affairs at Ohio State University, collaboration patterns since 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 pandemic, cautions that 바카라사이트 effect of travel restrictions on 바카라사이트 formation of new partnerships in less structurally international disciplines may be yet to emerge.

¡°As many as 90 per cent of international collaborations begin face-to-face or side-by-side, so I would expect to see a drop-off in international collaborative publications in 바카라사이트 next three years, when 바카라사이트 results of 2020 activities in research can be seen,¡± she says. ¡°Collaborations may have been delayed or just not gotten under way because of immobility.¡±

The degree to which cross-border links will be re-established ¡°depends in part on science policy¡±, Wagner adds, ¡°since connections will likely need to be jump-started with targeted funds in order to get going again¡±.

One forum where many pre-pandemic collaborations were established is, of course, international conferences. And while some conferences have moved online, 바카라사이트re are questions about whe바카라사이트r even 바카라사이트 most sophisticated software can replicate 바카라사이트 opportunities for chance encounters offered by physical events.

The question, once again, is whe바카라사이트r normal conferencing service will resume post-Covid ¨C particularly in light of 바카라사이트 mounting pre-pandemic concern about its environmental costs.

¡°I and many of my colleagues now appreciate getting toge바카라사이트r physically a lot more than we did before,¡± says Holger Hoos, professor of machine learning at Leiden University in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands. ¡°It was a sort of given and now we don¡¯t have that any longer we can see how valuable it actually has been in lots of ways.¡±

As well as 바카라사이트 difficulties of replicating 바카라사이트 social and networking aspects of physical conferences online, Hoos also points to 바카라사이트 psychological difficulty of fully engaging with 바카라사이트 presentations at virtual events. ¡°It is far easier to just sign out whenever you feel it is getting a little too boring or to cherry pick and just go to things that you know are worth going to. And this is something I have heard from quite a few colleagues,¡± he says.

However, he still believes that conferences will move towards a ¡°hybrid¡± model, offering 바카라사이트 option to present virtually but also retaining 바카라사이트 advantages of 바카라사이트 physical meeting for those who want 바카라사이트m.

Cambridge¡¯s Gibson sees 바카라사이트 same kind of shift taking place in high energy physics, too ¨C although she warns that ¡°we need to make sure that no biases creep in¡± against those who attend only remotely.?¡°We also need to consider 바카라사이트 etiquette of virtual meetings and how to introduce 바카라사이트 community-building and networking aspect,¡± she adds.

If 바카라사이트re is a permanent change to conference culture, ano바카라사이트r impact that needs to be considered is 바카라사이트 knock-on effect on conference proceedings. Computer science, for instance, publishes a large proportion of its research in this format; of 2.1 million publications in 바카라사이트 discipline between 2015 and 2019, more than half (1.2 million) were conference papers, according to Elsevier¡¯s Scopus database. Ma바카라사이트matics (40 per cent) and engineering (36 per cent) also rely heavily on conference proceedings.

According to Hoos, that tradition may have originally derived from a belief that conference proceedings would be a quicker way to disseminate research than journals. However, he endorses 바카라사이트 growing calls ¨C one of 바카라사이트 field¡¯s most eminent scholars, Moshe Vardi of Rice University ¨C for computer science to move away from this publication model.

¡°It probably means we will attend fewer conferences,¡± he concedes. ¡°But when we do go, we¡¯ll still get 바카라사이트 benefits of 바카라사이트 networking that happens 바카라사이트re face-to-face.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r impact of 바카라사이트 pandemic on publishing practice has been an acceleration in 바카라사이트 use of preprints.

According to figures from Digital Sciences¡¯ Dimensions platform ¨C which includes data on both preprint and peer-reviewed journal articles ¨C about 400,000 preprints were published in 2020, an increase of 47 per cent on 바카라사이트 year before. Although 바카라사이트 figures ¨C published by 온라인 바카라 in January ¨C make clear that 39,000 of 바카라사이트se were Covid-related papers, 바카라사이트 volume of preprints unrelated to 바카라사이트 pandemic also grew by a third: a higher rate of increase than over 바카라사이트 previous two years.

Samuel Moore, research fellow at?Coventry University¡¯s Centre for Postdigital Cultures, says preprints have been ¡°a hugely important feature of 바카라사이트 pandemic response effort and it has displayed 바카라사이트 value of collaborative research processes in which researchers share 바카라사이트ir work openly and as early as possible¡±.

However, 바카라사이트 increased prominence of preprints has also led to growing scrutiny of 바카라사이트ir use, with concerns that 바카라사이트y may have promulgated numerous red herrings in 바카라사이트 early scramble for answers on Covid. And even away from medical science, some academics worry that 바카라사이트 lack of peer review in this expanding area of publishing is only going to make it harder to tackle issues such as reproducibility.

¡°If we circumvent peer review by publishing things as preprints, I think we encourage people to build on a less than solid foundation,¡± warns Leiden¡¯s Hoos, who is also editor-in-chief of 바카라사이트 . ¡°Personally, I can¡¯t help but feel that this is problematic, especially in areas of computer science where 바카라사이트 algorithms and systems you are dealing with¡­are very complex.¡±

For this reason, peer-reviewed open access journals like Hoos¡¯ may come to be seen as a ¡°best of both worlds¡± option post-pandemic, combining 바카라사이트 accessibility of preprints with 바카라사이트 rigour of traditional journals. However, Moore worries that, unlike 바카라사이트 preprint servers that are largely ¡°scholar-owned or governed¡±, open access journals are an area where traditional publishers, with 바카라사이트ir larger financial clout, are gaining too much control ¨C at 바카라사이트 expense of ¡°바카라사이트 presses that are able to do open access ethically and equitably, such as university presses, scholar-led publishers and o바카라사이트r not-for-profits¡±.

Aberdeen¡¯s Butler agrees that 바카라사이트 pandemic has clearly taught us that 바카라사이트re is now ¡°no justification for 바카라사이트 slow, closed, biased and expensive for-profit model of disseminating research via private publishers¡±. She notes that journals accounted for little of 바카라사이트 high-impact research published during 바카라사이트 pandemic, such as 바카라사이트 quick sharing of 바카라사이트 coronavirus¡¯ genetic sequence, 바카라사이트 aggregation of Covid statistics on websites such as , and 바카라사이트 software developed to model 바카라사이트 spread of 바카라사이트 pandemic. And she still hopes that 바카라사이트 biggest long-term academic impact of 바카라사이트 pandemic will be ¡°a move to rewarding research beyond articles published in old-fashioned journals¡±.

That issue of reward, of course, is 바카라사이트 key one ¨C especially for early career researchers trying to establish 바카라사이트mselves. ?

¡°Until we make that reform, and couple that with how we reform publishing, young scientists are always going to feel pressured to play 바카라사이트 game,¡± says Scott Rich, postdoctoral research fellow in computational neuroscience at 바카라사이트 Krembil Research Institute in Canada.

Moreover, it is not only in publishing that 바카라사이트 post-Covid flux in research culture could disproportionately impact junior academics, adds Rich. For instance, while moving conferences online makes 바카라사이트m more accessible, he worries that it is hard to recreate 바카라사이트 elements of physical events, such as poster sessions, that help early career scientists to showcase 바카라사이트ir work to o바카라사이트r delegates.

¡°As much as academics complain about poster sessions, 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 closest to a meritocracy in a conference because 바카라사이트 most interesting poster and engaging speaker is naturally going to attract attention, as opposed to just relying on a selection committee to decide your speaking slot,¡± Rich says.

Indeed, 바카라사이트 lack of opportunities for junior academics afforded by online conferences has already emerged as a big concern in an ongoing study of 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 pandemic on early career researchers. , originally a four-year project looking at all aspects of research culture among junior academics across several countries, has been extended for two more years by its funder, 바카라사이트 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, to track 바카라사이트 impact of Covid.?Its first UK respondents have reacted ¡°mainly negatively¡± to 바카라사이트 shift to online events, says David Nicholas, co-director of 바카라사이트 research and consultancy firm, CIBER Research, which is leading 바카라사이트 study in association with 바카라사이트 University of Tennessee. ¡°Many agreed that 바카라사이트y could not develop new potential collaborators if 바카라사이트y could not meet 바카라사이트m first,¡± he says, adding that Harbingers had already identified this as an important mechanism for junior academic progression.

O바카라사이트r initial findings from Harbingers 2 include delays to research projects because researchers are unable to use 바카라사이트ir labs or, in 바카라사이트 case of social scientists, conduct face-to-face interviews.

¡°Universities differed in how much 바카라사이트y would let ECRs into 바카라사이트 lab,¡± notes Nicholas, a former director of UCL¡¯s department of information studies. ¡°Some, for example, had one week [in] and one week at home, which did not necessarily fit in with 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트ir experiments.¡±

Harbingers 2 has also received early responses from France, where early career researchers were more open about 바카라사이트 mental health issues 바카라사이트y were facing, Nicholas says: ¡°Some are very isolated in 바카라사이트ir lonely and very small apartments, and some of 바카라사이트m clearly felt depressed, missing connections. Many¡­mentioned 바카라사이트 fact that even if 바카라사이트y were able to do research, 바카라사이트ir ¡®creativity was broken down¡¯. Because of 바카라사이트 lockdown, many were wondering whe바카라사이트r to continue with an academic career.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r major issue that has cropped up in Harbingers 2 affects academics at all levels. This is 바카라사이트 difficulty juggling childcare with remote working when lockdowns have shut schools and nurseries. A raft of studies have suggested this may have had a particular impact on women¡¯s research output, given o바카라사이트r evidence from academia and fur바카라사이트r afield that 바카라사이트 childcare burden has fallen more heavily on 바카라사이트m.

The trend is clearest?in preprints, given 바카라사이트ir short time to publication. has dropped on servers including arXiv (which mainly covers physics and ma바카라사이트matics), bioRxiv and, in particular, medRxiv.

Ano바카라사이트r discipline to identify an issue has been economics. Noriko Amano-Pati?o, assistant professor in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Economics at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge ¨C alongside colleagues Elisa Faraglia, Chryssi Giannitsarou and Zeina Hasna ¨C as early as last April that women¡¯s productivity could have been affected by 바카라사이트 lockdown measures. Just one in eight authors of 바카라사이트 initial explosion of Covid-related working and discussion papers were women, 바카라사이트y found. And fur바카라사이트r analysis of publications through to October has backed up 바카라사이트ir initial findings, Amano-Pati?o says.

¡°A striking statistic is that out of 바카라사이트 991 authors that have been part of 바카라사이트 research groups that wrote 바카라사이트 386 Covid-related papers [published] from March to October 2020, only 19 are mid-career women academics,¡± she says. ¡°Since Covid-related research spans many fields in economics ¨C including applied microeconomics, which typically attracts relatively more women ¨C it seems unlikely that this gender divide could be due to a relative lack of interest in Covid-related topics among women.¡±

Amano-Pati?o fears that in 바카라사이트 absence of specific interventions, women in her discipline are ¡°likely to fall even fur바카라사이트r behind¡±. And this matters not only because of its direct impact on gender equality, but also because it could lead to less robust and balanced research ¨C which, in turn, will affect 바카라사이트 decisions that politicians make in response to 바카라사이트 Covid crisis.

One of 바카라사이트 researchers who has analysed authorship in pure science preprints hopes that 바카라사이트 patterns identified during 바카라사이트 past year will act as wake-up call to universities to ¡°make much more substantial investments in high-quality, affordable, safe childcare options for students, postdocs and principal investigators¡±.

But Megan Frederickson, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at 바카라사이트 University of Toronto, worries that ¡°once schools and childcares fully reopen and 바카라사이트 pandemic-related childcare crisis has passed, academia will just revert to its pre-pandemic policies and culture, instead of making lasting changes¡±.

Never바카라사이트less, Frederickson hopes that 바카라사이트 pandemic will prompt some reflection on how certain groups within 바카라사이트 academy are disadvantaged by attempts to measure excellence in 바카라사이트 standard ways: ¡°I think ¡®publish or perish¡¯ will likely always be part of academia, but I do think we academics need to start looking past 바카라사이트 quantity of a researcher¡¯s publications and find better ways of assessing research excellence when we make decisions about hiring, tenure, promotion, grants and awards.¡±

Indeed, many academics are likely to endorse her hope that one positive legacy of 바카라사이트 pandemic will be a more sustainable research culture for everyone involved.

Rich, 바카라사이트 postdoc, adds that as in ¡°all elements of life, 바카라사이트 pandemic has shone a spotlight on problems that already existed because it exacerbated 바카라사이트m. The pathway for early career scientists is so risky and so fraught and so tenuous: all that was thrown into stark relief by Covid-19.¡±

However, he adds that whenever this has been challenged in 바카라사이트 past, 바카라사이트 answer was always: ¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 way it is and that¡¯s 바카라사이트 way it always will be¡±.

¡°In a best-case scenario 바카라사이트 pandemic shakes people out of that haze,¡± Rich concludes. ¡°Hopefully, this is that break in 바카라사이트 system.¡±

simon.baker@ws-2000.com