Do you think research communication is important? Share your views! 6000 researchers have shared theirs.

Communication forms the core of research as the ultimate aim of research is to expand on the existing knowledge. As the volume of published research is increasing, research communication has assumed an even more crucial role than before. There is a greater focus on proactively communicating research to amplify research impact and increase public awareness of research. New and alternative formats of scientific communication, such as video abstracts and infographics, are evolving and the world is increasingly looking at the best way to communicate research and map its impact.

To understand the stage at which researchers communicate about their work, the ways in which they communicate, and who their audience is, Kudos – a service that helps researchers maximize the visibility and impact of research – has launched an online survey. Through the survey entitled “Swimming Upstream - The Current State of Research Workflows and Communication,” Kudos aims to identify the areas in which researchers require assistance in research communication.

Editage is serving the role of the International Research Lead for this landmark study that is also supported by publishers and organizations such as TBI Communications, BMJ, Cambridge University Press, The IET, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and SAGE, among others.

We invite all our readers globally to participate in this survey and share your views on various aspects of research communication, challenges you face, and additional support you would like to receive.

The results of the survey will be shared with publishers and influencers who could in turn help researchers get the support they need to communicate their work more effectively. Survey participants can also enter a prize draw and stand a chance to win online shopping vouchers worth £100 (or the equivalent in local currency). 

So far the survey has received 6000 responses and here are some of the interim findings: 

• 65.4% of respondents indicated that it was very important (and a further 29.5% somewhat important) to show that they are communicating their work and having broader impacts, beyond measures such as Journal Impact Factor
• 54.8% of respondents plan their communications throughout a research project
• Traditional publication/communication channels are still seen as being the most important: Peer reviewed articles (81.1% rated as ‘Very important’); Images, figures & graphics (48.9%); Books (34.9%); Events & associated materials (32.7%)
• The most common roles/bodies that make decisions about communication of projects are the principal investigator or project lead (65.8%), the entire research team (38.7%), and the institution/organization (33.1%)
• The areas in which respondents feel they need more support are: Project website development (53.3%); Media engagement (53.1%); Technology transfer/research commercialization (52.9%)
   

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Make your opinion count by participating in the survey. To do so, click on this link.