Springer Nature highlights need to support Japanese researchers in sharing findings after publication

A recent survey by research publishing giant Springer Nature shows that around a third of researchers in Japan are unsure how to share their research beyond academic publications and presentations, despite understanding the critical need communicate their research outside of these academic venues. Given that research communication is vital to involving scientists in policymaking and maximizing societal benefits, how can stakeholders further support the reach and impact of Japan’s research community? 

Key insights from the Researcher Engagement in Research Communication in Japan survey 

The survey was conducted in January–February 2023 and focused on scientists in all types of institutions in Japan, yielding 1063 valid responses. The recipients came from all age groups, with researchers over the age of 55 representing 46% of all responses. The lion’s share (53%) were university faculty members, and the vast majority of respondents (92%) were in STEM or medicine fields. The survey was offered in English and Japanese, with almost all respondents replying in Japanese. 

Japan’s researchers understand the benefits of communication, but rarely do it 

Researchers overwhelmingly see research communication as important (94%); overall, 90% agreed that it is both important and something that interests them. 

Despite this, 21% have not communicated in the last three years and 12% had never communicated research in their career. Of those who had communicated, 37% said it was only one to three times over three years. Overall, this shows a low rate of engagement, with only 30% communicating more than once annually over the survey period. This discrepancy suggests that Japanese researchers may experience structural difficulties that make it difficult to communicate research, rather than lacking the will to do so. 

Researchers proactively assess impact 

Of 710 respondents, 81% assessed the impact of their publications by some means, with tracking of citations and download numbers being popular. Of note, researchers who communicated only in Japanese both had lower rates of assessment and used fewer metrics to assess the reach and impact of their papers.  

Strong focus on the public, less on policymakers and funders 

Around 73% of respondents who targeted their communication focused on the general public, while 61% focused on their research community. In contrast, only 15% and 12% targeted policymakers and funders, respectively. Additionally, 64% prioritized research that is of interest to society. While it is heartening to see Japan’s researchers hoping to keep the public “in the loop,” these findings show that they may be missing opportunities to maximize their societal impact and court additional funding by not engaging people in positions of authority. 

However, there is a major caveat here. Around half of researchers indicated that they would be more likely to communicate their research if this communication is acknowledged as a research achievement by their institutions and funders, which means that researchers who receive incentives to communicate would be more likely to keep their stakeholders informed on their communication efforts. 

Barriers 

Around 66% found writing in plain language to be a major challenge. This is supported by the 77% of respondents who felt that they need more support in carrying out effective research communication. Other common gripes were being unsure of the right medium and difficulty creating appealing visuals or narratives. Half of respondents said they receive support from their institution’s communication/public relations team, but fewer than 20% of respondents were aware of other resources provided by their organization, such as assistance in writing plain language summaries or communication skills training. 

While difficulties in communicating in languages besides Japanese was not surveyed, only a small majority (52%) made some use of English in their research communications compared to 96% who used Japanese wholly or exclusively. This may represent either a strong focus on domestic audiences or difficulty in communicating in English. Japan has well-documented deficiencies in English communication, which can certainly limit engagement with international audiences. 

Insights 

Looking outside Galapagos 

Japanese commentators often refer to Japan’s Galapagos Syndrome—the tendency to develop unique products, practices, or services that thrive within Japan but sometimes fail to gain widespread adoption outside. This mirrors the Galapagos Islands, an isolated environment with unique environmental traits whose fauna allowed Charles Darwin to gain insights into his theory of evolution by natural selection. The Galapagos tendency in the consumer economy is in part due to Japan’s unique customer base and business culture. Likewise, Japan has unique features in its research culture, such as its high proportion of researchers who work in private institutions.  

Now that research is increasingly an international endeavor, stakeholders outside Japan have a great opportunity to help Japanese researchers make their voices here. it may be worthwhile for international publishers or collaborators to tailor their strategies to the Japanese research community. Based on these data, some ideas that can be implemented by stakeholders include: 

Remaining questions 

The current survey has revealed encouraging indications of Japanese researchers’ understanding of communication while also highlighting areas for improvement such as support within institutions and skills training. However, Japan’s status in relation to other research-producing countries is unclear. Just how much would these answers differ if replicated with a sample from another country? Comparing Japan with other East Asian nations, such as China and South Korea, may also yield insights into whether Japan really is unique in the challenges that it faces, perhaps leading the way to bolder multinational initiatives to improve communication.