Information Today, Inc. Corporate Site KMWorld CRM Media Streaming Media Faulkner Speech Technology Unisphere/DBTA
PRIVACY/COOKIES POLICY
Other ITI Websites
American Library Directory Boardwalk Empire Database Trends and Applications DestinationCRM Faulkner Information Services Fulltext Sources Online InfoToday Europe KMWorld Literary Market Place Plexus Publishing Smart Customer Service Speech Technology Streaming Media Streaming Media Europe Streaming Media Producer Unisphere Research



News & Events > NewsBreaks
Back Index Forward
Threads bluesky LinkedIn FaceBook Instagram RSS Feed
 



Digital Science Publishes Report on the Impact of Research Transformation
by
Posted On October 29, 2024
Digital Science, an AI-focused technology company, provides solutions for researchers to enhance the research process. Its Research Transformation series explores how the research world is changing. “Change in the Era of AI, Open and Impact: Voices From the Academic Community” (registration required), the third report in the series, looks at research innovation, how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are influencing the way research is conducted, and the innovations supporting research transformation. In addition to technologies, the report examines other drivers of change, such as funding policies, sustainability, open access, and social responsibility.

The cover of the Change in the Era of AI, Open and Impact report“Change in the Era of AI, Open and Impact” conveys the findings of a survey of the global research community commenting on how their roles are evolving, the drivers of change, and predictions as to what’s next. The survey ran from May to July 2024. Its 380 respondents represent the research ecosystem in 70 countries (51% Europe, Middle East, and Africa; 29% the Americas; and 19% Asia-Pacific), diverse roles (38% library, 37% research office, 12% leadership, 10% faculty, and 3% other), and length of participation in their current roles (38% 1–5 years, 31% 10-plus years, 18% 5–10 years, and 13% less than 1 year). Digital Science supplemented the survey with in-depth interviews with 15 thought leaders. Attributed quotes from these interviews and open-ended survey questions enhance the general findings by indicating how institutions are adapting their research practices and cultures to embrace the evolving ecosystems.

The analysis identified five key findings that have significant implications for the research community: open research, impact and evaluation, technology and AI, collaboration, and research security. Each finding highlights the opportunities and obstacles facing academia, the concerns of researchers, calls for different approaches to address the issues, and more proactive management in navigating the evolving research landscape.

Finding #1: Open research is transforming research, but barriers remain.

According to the report, 82% of respondents say that open research advancements will have the most impact on research over the next 5 years. The study participants view open research as a transformative force in academia, emphasizing the importance of transparency, accessibility, and collaboration. They credit open research policies and infrastructure development as having helped to further reproducibility and sustainability and as having a transformative effect on library roles. However, they also acknowledge significant challenges that could hinder open research’s progress. The inevitability of open research is seen as dependent on overcoming the hurdles of funding, awareness, and institutional resistance.

Finding #2: Research metrics are evolving to emphasize holistic impact and inclusivity.

Respondents express “frustration with traditional metrics, but [recognize that] they still hold weight.” They are calling “for a more holistic evaluation of research impact and quality.” The U.K.’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) appears to have influenced evaluation assessments in many countries that have “also introduced some form of broader research impact assessment.”

Finding #3: AIs transformative potential is huge, but bureaucracy, resistance to change within academic communities, and skill gaps among researchers and staff threaten progress.

Further complicating AI adoption are the ethical implications of its use, data security concerns, and research quality and integrity. Respondents and interviewees had concerns, but they expressed optimism about the impact of AI on their roles. There was consensus that gaining AI skills would be key to success.

Finding #4: Collaboration is booming amid increasing concerns over funding and security.

Respondents pointed to cross-sector collaboration as transforming the way research is performed. They noted the need to develop strategic funding initiatives that prioritize and reward collaborative research, such as encouraging international collaboration for shared resources and providing seed funding for initial partnerships.

Finding #5: Security and risk management need a strategic and cultural overhaul.

According to the report, 45% of respondents notice “an increase in the amount of time they spend on research security now compared to five years ago.” While respondents and interviewees recognize research security as a growing concern, they note that a lack of buy-in and expertise persists.

Reflections

The Reflections section of the report poses several questions the research community needs to address concerning AI, open research, and impact metrics. The authors of this section, Mark Hahnel, Digital Science’s VP of open research, and Simon Porter, Digital Science’s VP of research futures, outline the efforts of Digital Science to support research transformation through various initiatives and tools that help institutions and researchers navigate these transformations.

Recommendations

The briefest section of the report, Recommendations—a single page—offers two bulleted recommendations for leadership to address, two for the research office, and another two for the library and information services.

Though this is billed as the third and final report of the series, it would be interesting to hear how these essential participants of academic research act on these recommendations. As a community, we should encourage a fourth research effort by Digital Science.

Webinar

Should you want to learn more about the findings and conclusions in this report, sign up for the Nov. 19, 2024, webinar, Research Transformation: Embracing Change in the Era of AI, hosted in partnership with Times Higher Education. It will feature a panel discussion on the evolving role of research in academia and the transformative impact of AI and other emerging technologies in making research more open, inclusive, and collaborative.


For more details on Digital Science and its solutions for academic institutions, visit digital-science.com/academic.


Image courtesy of Digital Science


Barbie E. Keiser is an information resources management consultant located in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area.

Email Barbie E. Keiser

Related Articles

2/4/2025Digital Science Creates an External Advisory Board
10/1/2024Digital Science Rolls Out ReadCube Pro, Featuring an Artificial Intelligence Assistant
9/10/2024Digital Science Unveils an AI-Focused Premium Option for Its Papers Reference Manager
8/13/2024August People News
7/25/2024Digital Science Plans Free Online Course for Librarians in Africa
7/2/2024The Altmetric 500 Dataset Is a New Way to Share Research Impact
6/18/2024Ten National Funders From Africa Are Now Indexed in Dimensions
4/18/2024Digital Science Rolls Out an Open Research Principles Initiative
4/16/2024Writefull for Overleaf Gets AI-Based Updates
4/9/2024Digital Science Creates Campaign to Study Research Transformation in Response to AI
3/7/2024Dimensions Adds AI-Generated Summaries for Easier Discovery on the Platform


Comments Add A Comment

              Back to top