Abstract
Abstract Purpose Methods to tackle Covid-19 have been developed by a wave of biomedical research but the pandemic has also influenced many aspects of society, generating a need for research into its consequences, and potentially changing the way existing topics are investigated. This article investigates the nature of this influence on the wider academic research mission. Design/methodology/approach This article reports an inductive content analysis of 500 randomly selected journal articles mentioning Covid-19, as recorded by the Dimensions scholarly database on 19 March 2021. Covid-19 mentions were coded for the influence of the disease on the research. Findings Whilst two thirds of these articles were about biomedicine (e.g. treatments, vaccines, virology), or health services in response to Covid-19, others covered the pandemic economy, society, safety, or education. In addition, some articles were not about the pandemic but stated that Covid-19 had increased or decreased the value of the reported research or changed the context in which it was conducted. Research limitations The findings relate only to Covid-19 influences declared in published journal articles. Practical implications Research managers and funders should consider whether their current procedures are effective in supporting researchers to address the evolving demands of pandemic societies, particularly in terms of timeliness. Originality/value The results show that although health research dominates the academic response to Covid-19, it is more widely disrupting academic research with new demands and challenges.
Highlights
Vol 6 No 4, 2021Covid-19 has impacted many areas of life in addition to the health challenges faced
The results show that health research dominates the academic response to Covid-19, it is more widely disrupting academic research with new demands and challenges
The results confirm that whilst approximately three fifths of research mentioning Covid-19 is just about providing medical treatments or health care for those infected by Covid-19, the remainder covers other pandemic-related topics or is influenced by the pandemic but is not about it
Summary
Vol 6 No 4, 2021Covid-19 has impacted many areas of life in addition to the health challenges faced. Lockdowns and other social restrictions have influenced the economy and society by blocking or changing many daily activities, including business, lifestyle, and culture. In this context, it is reasonable to expect the pandemic to be influencing many non-health areas of research, in the social sciences, as researchers attempt to develop solutions to the societal challenges faced. It is reasonable to expect the pandemic to be influencing many non-health areas of research, in the social sciences, as researchers attempt to develop solutions to the societal challenges faced Identifying such changes can help researchers and managers to understand any important developments in the research landscape. Most Covid-19 diabetes scholarship is not published in high Impact Factor journals (Corrales-Reyes, Hernández-García, & Mejia, 2021) and a key area of aquatic research is about wastewater safety (Ji et al, 2021)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
