What are some of the current trends and challenges in academic research?

Technology and innovation have made a big difference in academic research. With new tools and methods, researchers can work together more easily, even if they're in different parts of the world. Technology helps scientists collect and analyze data faster and more accurately, making their research stronger. It also allows for better communication, so researchers can share their findings with each other and the public more quickly. Innovation in fields like artificial intelligence and big data has opened up new possibilities for discovery. Overall, technology and innovation are helping researchers solve problems faster, collaborate better, and make a bigger impact on the world.

The increasing use of neuroscience technologies in multidisciplinary research is another factor that should be considered. Although these tools and methods seem more commonly used in psychology and marketing, their application is rapidly expanding into nearly every aspect of our lives. Neuroscience instruments and techniques are now being employed in various fields, including finance, human resources, and operations management, to name just a few.

I can certainly see the benefit of AI tools assisting the research process. For example, products like LitMaps are great for the literature review process by creating maps of various research topics and managing the references you decide to use. This is different than using other tools like ChatGPT. I do believe it is important to learn and understand the power behind ChatGPT but I am not sure if the ethics of its use in research. I read articles and comments that it will be useful for generating ideas. However, we are then going down a slippery slope of not knowing who "owns" an idea, and worse, whether those communicating such ideas are in fact competent. We also risk losing our unique capacity for deep thinking.

Regardless of the fine differences and similarities between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, I agree with Trevor on the concept of ‘’generalist’’. This can be troublesome because on the resume you have mentioned a bit of something or everything, which confuses the academic employer. In industry, however, the story is different, they may be more open to hearing you out because they are in the business of business and not just publication. If they feel your qualifications and multidisciplinary experience are useful and can be fruitful for the business via R&D you have hit the jackpot. In this way, you have a win-win situation: you can pursue your interdisciplinary research and they harvest their investment via productivity.

I believe that interdisciplinary research is essential for solving complex problems in today's world. By bringing together researchers from different fields, we can gain a more holistic understanding of the issues we face and develop more effective solutions. However, it is also important to acknowledge the challenges of interdisciplinary research, such as the need for clear communication and the difficulty of finding common ground. Researchers need to be willing to step outside of their comfort zones and learn from others in order to make interdisciplinary research successful.

Interdisciplinary collaboration enriches academic research by merging diverse perspectives to tackle complex issues. This approach bolsters research quality and innovation but requires navigating challenges like finding common ground and managing conflicts. Effective teamwork in such environments demands skills in communication, mutual respect, and appreciation for varied expertise. Researchers must adapt to these dynamics, ensuring that the collective effort leads to meaningful advancements and acknowledges individual contributions within the team.

Publication and impact are really important in academic research. When researchers publish their work, they share their discoveries with the world. This could be in scientific journals, books, or even online. Publishing helps other scientists learn from their findings and build on them. Impact is all about how much their research changes things. It could mean helping people, influencing policies, or inspiring other scientists. The more people who read and use their work, the bigger the impact. So, publishing isn't just about putting out papers, it's about making a difference in the world.

The prime objective of publication is dissemination of new knowledge with experimental and/or empirical evidences. While thousands of research articles are published from hundreds of publishing venues, a little of true knowledge is added in the human knowledge base. Due to a compromised review system as well as interesting business model, publications are not making the impact they supposed to. Oftentimes citation scores are deceptive and does not account for the social impact. To me this is a great challenge towards making impactful academic research. The right question should be what new knowledge a publication entails?

Las publicaciones, con la estructura tradicional, solamente permiten compartir pocos hallazgos y reflexiones sobre las mismas, y se vuelven datos "fijos". Un concepto que permite lograr más profundidad y que es sostenible con las redes actuales, es pasar de producto a proceso, es decir, pasar de una publicación fija a un flujo de reflexiones de lectores que permita el análisis colectivo de los datos y su aplicabilidad, partiendo del análisis de la o el autor en el mismo espacio de la revista. ¿Imaginas cuántas posturas y teóricos podrían "discutir" en un mismo hilo de conversación?

The publication system is wicked. It is absurd that the scientific community is surrogated by an editor and a couple of reviewers, and that public-founded discoveries make rich private publishers that spoil the system by being paid to print works written, reviewed, and edited by the authors themselves, keeping the copyrights..... Possible solution? To eliminate scientific papers. Funding agencies should create portals where funded researchers can report discoveries every time there is a breakthrough through a data report. In any case, at the end of the grant timeline, a mandatory public report should be posted and future grants and career developments assigned by the QUALITY of the reported research more than building up a compelling story.

As a young mother in academics, one of the challenging things I encounter is navigating motherhood and academics. Hence, prioritizing, setting achievable goals, and embracing flexibility are my compass. In the realm of high-impact journals, I've come to realise that quality prevails. With a supportive network, I've learned to ask for help and celebrate every milestone. To fellow mothers in academia: your unique path is commendable. Keep moving forward; you're not alone!!!

I’m reminded of this 2018 piece titled “Train PhD students to be thinkers not just specialists”, published as an opinion piece in Nature with the caption “Many doctoral curricula aim to produce narrowly focused researchers rather than critical thinkers. That can and must change, says Gundula Bosch.” She states: “Under pressure to turn out productive lab members quickly, many PhD programmes … have shortened their courses, squeezing out opportunities for putting research into its wider context. Consequently, most PhD curricula are unlikely to nurture the big thinkers and creative problem-solvers that society needs.” In summary: we “need to put the philosophy back into the doctorate of philosophy: that is, the ‘Ph’ back into the PhD.”

Many papers out there have poor statistics. Since papers with significant p-values are more likely to get published, many researchers p-hack or change their hypothesis to fit the results. Thats not good research, especially if public funds are involved.

In qualitative research always keep an audit trail for integrity and transparency. Ensure consent is gained from participants and inform them they can leave the research project at any time.

Navigating the ethical and societal implications of research is essential for maintaining integrity and fostering positive social impact. Challenges include ensuring research adheres to ethical guidelines, addressing potential harm to participants or communities, and considering broader societal implications. Overcoming these hurdles requires a commitment to ethical conduct, transparency, and engaging with stakeholders to ensure research aligns with societal values and priorities.

Current trends in academic research involve heightened awareness of ethical considerations and their impact on society. Challenges include navigating issues such as data privacy, research integrity, and societal implications of emerging technologies like AI and biotechnology. Embracing ethical frameworks, promoting transparency, and engaging with diverse stakeholders can help address these challenges and ensure research serves the common good while upholding ethical standards.

Deshacerse de la burocracia y todo el papeleo innecesario que envuelve el trabajo académico y que cada vez aumenta. Esto daría tiempo para involucrarse más en la investigación.

We need to talk about the precarious working conditions. Yes, research is fun and many of us work a lot and love the competition. But we can't force it on everyone. We need fair pay, long-term job security and recognition of the work-life balance.

Unfortunately the quality Academic research will soon go down as experienced and talented researchers migrate to industry. One of the main concerns and challenges is very low pay scale for academic scientists in spite of all the experience they bring to the table. Moreover a biased structure of funding panel and biased approach in recruiting junior staff will lead to poor outcomes in quality of research and very soon downfall of academic research. Further this will have a cumulative effect on the quality of future generation PhD. In two decades or so this will also affect industry as a repercussion of poor quality of human resource produced leading to loss of trillions of dollars and most importantly medical impact and time.

The current trends and challenges are in many ways not new. We don't train people to do research well, we support people poorly, pastoral care is often non-existent and academia is precarious and underfunded. Toxic environments around presenteeism, over productivity and competition lead to bullying and other problems where mistakes and misconduct are liable to thrive. We push towards the 'new', but really need to fix what's been a growing issue for a long time. With better funding, joined up approaches, improved standards, and remembering although smart people work in academia many lack core skills and struggle with communication and access. A lot are deliberately excluded still. That has to change.

As with any field of endeavour, academic research is continually evolving and with that comes fresh challenges and approaches. This is a benefit to the field and should be viewed as an opportunity for the continual iteration and improvement of our work.