Abstract
Background: There is an increasing desire for research to provide solutions to the grand challenges facing our global society, such as those expressed in the UN SDGs ("real-world impact"). Herein, we consider whether the frameworks that underpin the research endeavour are appropriately oriented to support these aspirations and maximize the capability of research to achieve these goals. Methods: We conducted a survey of authors who had published in >100 of our Earth & Environmental Science journals. The survey was sent to just under 60,000 authors and we received 2,695 responses (4% response rate). Results: Respondents indicated that the majority of their research in the Earth & Environmental Sciences is currently concerned with addressing urgent global needs or that this will become a priority in the future; however, the impetus seems to be altruistic researcher desire, rather than incentives or support from publishers, funders, or their institutions. Indeed, when contextualised within other forms of impact, respondents indicated that citations or downloads were more important to them than contributing to tackling real-world problems. Herein, we analyse survey feedback, suggest the presence of a misalignment between researcher ambition and current realities, and discuss the role and value of the research journal in forming new connections for their researchers, both within and without academia. Conclusions: At present, it seems that this laudable ambition of achieving real-world impact is seemingly being lost amidst the realities of being a researcher. We offer for comment a series of suggestions, with the aim of simulating discussion and collective action to tackle these challenges as a community.
Highlights
One of the fundamental tenets of the research endeavour is about exploration and curiosity, calls to increase R&D spending by nations have been allied with an expectation for research to have “impact”[1]
We investigated what benefits publishing in our journals could impart on both the research and on the authors following publication, and we looked at to what extent global challenges, such as those expressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were shaping researcher ambitions
Comprising such urgent needs as Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6) and Climate Change (SDG 13) and tackling threats to Life on Land (SDG 15) and Life below Water (SDG 14), one might readily anticipate that a high proportion of research in the Earth and Environmental Sciences would have a part to play in meeting the needs expressed by the SDGs
Summary
One of the fundamental tenets of the research endeavour is about exploration and curiosity, calls to increase R&D spending by nations have been allied with an expectation for research to have “impact”[1]. Impact has many forms – some are quantifiable, for example every dollar invested in the Human Genome Project returned $141 to the US economy[2], whereas others are harder to quantify and often tie into complex interdisciplinary issues, which require long-term commitment and investment – the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the missions of Horizon Europe serving as prime examples[3,4] This drive for research to solve ‘the Grand Challenges of our time’[5] has acquired increased urgency during the Covid-19 pandemic, but has long been discussed in the context of global problems, including climate change, food security, and an aging global population. We offer for comment a series of suggestions, with the aim of simulating discussion and collective action to tackle these challenges as a community
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