ArticlePloS one2023
The pandemic and changes in early career researchers' career prospects, research and publishing practices.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Factors associated with extensions and withdrawals from stricto sensu graduate programs in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic: emphasis on mental health.Revista latino-americana de enfermagem · 2026Article
- Editorial: Tips for early career researchers (ECRs) in searching the literature and in academic publishing.Parasitology · 2026Article
- Contemporary challenges, needs and opportunities for emerging behavioral nutrition and physical activity researchers: a mixed-methods study.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- Role of low-impact-factor journals in conservation implementation.Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · 2025Article
- Understanding author choices in the current conservation publishing landscape.Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · 2025Article
- Article
- When open data closes the door: A critical examination of the past, present and the potential future for open data guidelines in journals.The British journal of social psychology · 2023Article
- Toward equitable open research: stakeholder co-created recommendations for research institutions, funders and researchers.Royal Society open science · 2023Article
- Editorial: Research integrity.Frontiers in research metrics and analytics · 2023Article
- The pandemic and changes in early career researchers' career prospects, research and publishing practices.PloS one · 2023Article
- Preprinting is positively associated with early career researcher status in ecology and evolution.Ecology and evolution · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAs part of the Harbnger-2 project, this study aimed to discover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on junior researchers' work-life, career prospects, research and publishing practices and networking.
methodsAn online international survey of 800 early career researchers (ECRs) was conducted in 2022. A questionnaire was developed based on three rounds of interviews and distributed using multiple channels including publishers, social media, and direct email to ECRs.
resultsThe impact of the pandemic on career prospects, morale, job security, productivity, ability to network and collaborate, and quality and speed of peer review has on the whole been more negative than positive. A quarter of ECRs shifted their research focus to pandemic-related topics and half of those who did, benefited largely due to increased productivity and impact. The majority worked remotely/from home and more than two-thirds of those who did so benefitted from it. While virtual or hybrid conferences have been embraced by the majority of ECRs, around a third still preferred face-to-face only conferences. The use of library online platforms, Sci-Hub, ResearchGate, Google Scholar and smartphone to search and access full-text papers increased. ECRs prioritised journals with fast submission procedures for the publishing of their papers and spent more time on increasing the visibility of their research. Fees were a problem for publishing open access.
conclusionAlthough, generally, the pandemic negatively impacted many aspects of ECRs' work-life, certain research areas and individuals benefited from being more appreciated and valued, and, in some cases, resulted in increased resources, better productivity and greater impact. Changes, such as the use of digital technologies and remote working created new opportunities for some ECRs. While continuing work flexibility and hybrid conferences might benefit some ECRs, institutions should also take measures to help those ECRs whose career and productivity have been adversely impacted.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.