BRAVE NEW WORLD:
SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION AFTER COVID

The effect of the pandemic on research funding, university budgets, and researchers' needs

The coronavirus pandemic has both disrupted research, and acted as a catalyst for change. Publishers, societies and providers of related services urgently need intelligence and analysis to inform short-term responses and longer-term planning.

This study, carried out between November 2020 and February 2021, provides up-to-the-minute insight drawn from two global surveys (with responses from 10,000+ researchers and 600+ librarians) and a review of over 100 announcements, articles and other relevant documents from funders, institutions and researchers.

Expert analysis highlights the key implications, identifies the emerging opportunities, and sets out clear recommendations for putting the report's findings into practice.

“Easily digestible, rich with insights and very informative.” 
Leyane Rose, Senior Marketing Manager, Wiley

Financial insights include:

• The extent of budget cuts within institutions and libraries
• Which content types are most likely to be affected
• How cancellation decisions will be made
• What actions on the part of publishers are most likely to protect subscriptions
• How Open Access strategies and budgets will be affected
• How research funders' programs and policies been affected, and implications for publishers
• Expectations around which budgets are likely to recover, and in what timeframe.

Strategic insights include:

• The effect of the pandemic on researchers’ careers, workloads and  publishing preferences
• Data around submissions, turnaround times and preprints
• Researchers' evolving needs, priorities, concerns and expectations
• Findings and recommendations around researchers’ and librarians' anticipated attendance at events
• Including expectations of virtual event platforms, ranked preferences around virtual exhibition features, recommendations for meeting researchers’, publishers’, societies and service providers’ needs from networking to marketing.