2020 irrevocably changed the way science is conducted and communicated in the UK. Existing trends towards open science, preprints, open data and faster dissemination and communication of results were accelerated, and scientists and researchers took center stage in the national response to the pandemic.
With most of the world beginning to adapt to living with the virus, scholarly communication may have reached an inflection point. The research community has yet to adjust fully to the ramifications of the pandemic, decide on its future direction, and establish the mechanisms for getting there.
To understand the impact of the pandemic on confidence in scientific research, Elsevier launched a global Confidence in Research initiative in June 2020. The initiative will include a landmark global survey of 3,000 researchers conducted by Economist Impact — experts in identifying actionable insights — and propose a set actions and interventions to support researchers in their efforts to advance knowledge that benefits society.
To gain insight into the unique perspective of the UK’s research community on this subject, we brought together a broad range of experts for a roundtable discussion at The British Library with our partner and co-host, Sense About Science.
The session was moderated by Tracey Brown, Director of Sense about Science, and was attended by representatives from key stakeholder groups including research institutions, professional bodies, R&D-focused commercial organizations, and policymakers.
To gain insight into the unique perspective of the UK’s research community on this subject, we brought together a broad range of experts for a roundtable discussion at The British Library with our partner and co-host, Sense About Science.
1. There is a clear need to enhance the way science is communicated, including the benefits it brings.
Public engagement was viewed as a crucial part of scientific communication, but participants argued that it is too often viewed through the lens of “media engagement” — potentially overlooking more creative ways to engage the public.
They also noted that disciplines can differ in their views on how relevant scientific communication is, and that sometimes the specialization of research means there are fewer opportunities to communicate findings.
2. There is a lack of incentive for researchers to communicate their findings.
Many attendees noted that researchers think communication is not respected or recognized by some institutions, which don’t consider communication an integral part of their academic work and don’t reward researchers for communication in terms of promotion or career progression.
Although a point of debate and contention, it was suggested that there is a gender split here, with some even claiming that men tend to be keen to engage with only the more prestigious opportunities, while women are more likely to provide input across the board.
