In the past few months Universities around the world have had to adapt considerably. With home working becoming the norm teaching and learning has shifted to Zoom, Google Hangouts and other online video conferencing software. But what impact has it had on researchers? Has it slowed down research output or given researchers more time to focus? We asked our online academic panel about the impact of COVID-19 on their productivity and research output.

“The work and research happens at home. That’s basically the only difference”.

Seven of the panellists (out of 21 who completed the task) reported no change in their productivity or output. Those who indicated that their research output had remained the same were from a mixture of disciplines (law, psychiatry, psychology Economics and mathematics) and primarily based in mainland Europe. Whether the reduced impact is partly related to the disciplines (and reliance on existing publications rather than primary research sources which is harder to access) is unclear and may warrant further exploration.

“Although my spare time has increased enormously, my concentration is sometimes distracted by the constant depressing news about the virus in this country and the world at large”

The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on concentration levels has been reported amongst many groups, and researchers are not exempt from this. The constant news coverage is likely to impact many researchers who may also be worrying about future funding and the consequences for their institution and research in the longer term.

“Actually, we’re being more productive than we were before”

Three of the panellists reported that their research output had increased during lockdown. Reasons include contacts “reaching out as they find they have time to finally respond to old emails”. Additional reasons include having extra time available to conduct research without having a daily commute.

Given that many researchers also juggling teaching responsibilities and are required to attend numerous face to face meetings, for some working from home has alleviated this burden and increased efficiency: “Before the outbreak there were so many classes which required attendance in person, so many events and meetings, which weren’t efficient.”

Research activity is on “pause.”

For a number of researchers their activity is currently on hold. Five panellist reported a halt or slowdown of research activity. One Engineering researcher remarked “All research projects were cancelled. We only are allowed to analyse data, write draft papers and start planning new research projects.”

Specific reasons highlighted by one researcher in Literature include being unable to “enter a physical library to consult holdings”. Teaching responsibilities are also highlighted as a reason as providing online support and learning to use new remote systems to support students can be time consuming.

What about independent scholars?

One independent scholar based in India researching in Film, Media and Mass communication remarked that “since they were not receiving numerous directives from any academic institution” and have not been required to teach online, they have been much more productive in terms of reading and writing.  The quiet of the current situation has enabled them to work uninterrupted.

It’s evident that the impact of COVID-19 on research activity is not clear cut. Although the biggest proportion of the panellists reported that their work had not been impacted or had actually increased, there are differences in some institutions and a greater impact on those who rely on physical libraries or need access to original source material. Institutions that have made restrictions on research projects also need to be factored into this complex landscape. It’s not a normal situation to be faced with and the issue of distraction and declining concentration also plays a part. It may also be a period of adaptation for researchers and institutions alike that warrants continued analysis to see the longer term impact.

Interested in having your voice heard and helping shape the future of academic publishing? Find out about joining one of our online panels here