Growth in Data and Questions on Quality are Increasing Researcher Workload, Finds New Study From Elsevier and Sense About Science

AMSTERDAM, Aug. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Data proliferation and a lack of confidence in the multitude of research outputs is adding to researcher workload and is likely to impact public confidence in science, according to a survey of the global research community on trust in research – one of the largest surveys known to date.

The Trust in Research report by Elsevier, a global information analytics business specializing in science and health, in partnership with Sense about Science, surveyed over 3,000 researchers in May and a separate earlier study in March 2019 captured 1,500 responses.

Researchers now spend almost as much time searching for articles as actually reading them. On average, researchers spend just over four hours searching for research articles a week and more than five hours reading them. The picture is worsening over time: between 2011 and 2019, researchers read 10 percent fewer articles, but spent 11 percent more time finding articles.

While 62 percent of researchers regard all or a majority of the research outputs they see as trustworthy, over a third (37 percent) said they only viewed half or some of them as trustworthy. And 1 percent viewed none of the outputs they see as trustworthy. In response, researchers are developing new coping mechanisms to ensure the reliability of the research they use, which is adding to workloads:

• Nearly three-fifths (57 percent) admit to checking supplementary data carefully.
• Just over half (52 percent) seek corroboration from other trusted sources.
• Over a third (37 percent) only read and access from researchers they know.

This lack of trust is also likely to impact public confidence in science, according to researchers. Over a third (41 percent) of those surveyed said the increased visibility of low-quality research was a large problem in terms of public confidence, with more than a quarter (28 percent) citing the volume of information available to the public as a big issue.

The Trust in Research report is the latest in a series of studies from Elsevier designed to better understand the needs of the research community now, and in the future, and start a debate about how information analytics companies can best respond.

"Researchers are having to work harder than ever to verify the information that they build their research on," explains Adrian Mulligan, Research Director for Customer Insights, Elsevier. "While most research output is trusted, it is concerning that a majority of researchers say they cannot rely on all the information they receive. For many hard-working health professionals, researchers and scientists, it's tough for them to get a break, let alone a breakthrough.