Scientific communication during COVID-19 Pandemic: its nature, types and importance in the academic community

Abstract

Communication is the basis of any social interaction between people, especially within the academic community, whether universities, research organizations, or scientific societies. Scientific communication has many types: direct and indirect, formal and informal. It takes place through channels that holds events such as seminars, lectures, phone calls, and e-mails. During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific communication was exposed to some challenges and obstacles that affected the continuity of communication processes and activities and the extent of the credibility of the data extracted from the process. Communication on which research results are based and the quality of that data. Therefore, this study aims to identify the nature of scientific communication and its types used in the field of scientific research within the academic community, its importance, advantages, and disadvantages. It also aims to identify the direct impact of COVID-19 pandemic on scientific communication during and after the pandemic in terms of the process and how the continuity of scientific communication within the academic community and beyond. The study also relied on the analytical descriptive approach since it has advantages in monitoring and following up the phenomenon or event accurately. The results showed that 1) Scientific communication is the backbone and the main path that drives all activities, communications, developments, policies, directives and ideas of people towards achieving their various scientific, research and professional goals, especially in the era of digital transformation. 2) The progress of informal scientific communication and its multiple channels is increasing with the development of means of academic communication, reinforcing each other and increasing their impact on the public, which results in accelerating the delivery of scientific knowledge and the dissemination of research result. Some recommendations were also noted in this study. With regards to research productivity, allocating websites or electronic platforms for each discipline, and access to them is restricted, for specific people whose identity has been verified by officials on such sites to obtain the most accurate data, information, and research and scientific answers. Lastly exchanging information with trusted persons, relying on scientific experts and professors in the specialty, and reviewing scientific research by professors specialized in the field.