According to the ResearchGate study based on 2000 registered members, community research activity increased in an online environment during the pandemics.
Although researchers spend less time at their universities and labs, their reading, reviewing, and presence on online conferences grew. The report showed, that 40% of researchers are spending more or much more time searching for and reading scientific literature as before COVID-19 impacted their work.
72% of researchers report spending less or much less time attending conferences or other in-person events. These researchers are not passive. They attend online conferences more than ever. We saw this ourselves last year, when EAI conferences managed an impressive feat of growing the total number of submitted papers by 24% compared to last year.
Many survey respondents believe that virtual conferences can be more effective and less expensive than in-person meetings, allowing researchers from less wealthy countries or with small children to care for to participate in forums they would otherwise find difficult to attend.
More reading and writing
Moreover, 51% of researchers are spending more or much more time writing, submitting, and peer-reviewing papers. This trend is also visible in EAI Community Review, first launched in early 2019, which brought more than triple the number of Review Bids in 2020, while maintaining an average author opt-in rate of more than 80%, even reaching 100% in some conferences.
“With so many scientists at home, papers are being written and submitted en masse. I’ve had to review 4x more papers than usual during this time.”
ResearchGate survey
If not a part of the online conference environment already, think about benefiting from the online conferences, as well. Explore EAI upcoming or past events, publish your research, and progress in your field of study.
