On November 30, two new studies were published in FACETS documenting researchers’ perceptions of the prevalence of interference in science, its sources, and effects and considered whether these perceptions differ by region, career stage, research area, membership to any scientific society, and social identity.
The articles were accompanied by an op-ed in the Conversation and a blog post in the Evidence for Democracy series on scientific integrity. The lead researchers were also featured in several radio interviews on CBC’s Mainstreet NS, Info AM Saint John, and City News 95.7 in Halifax. To hear more, check out this podcast interview on Mind Full.
Lead author of one study, Manjulika Robertson, was quoted in a Canadian Press article (picked up by more than a dozen other outlets) explaining that “there’s a wide array of researchers who say their work was interfered with,” emphasizing the conditions are particularly challenging for researchers who conduct work in specifically focused on impacts of climate change and pollution.
In addition to this, lead of the other study Samantha Chu found that researchers with marginalized identities are disproportionately experiencing interference. For example, most marginalized groups, particularly researchers who identified as LGBQ2S+ and women, experienced significantly greater fear of misrepresentation by media and (or) fear of negative career consequences due to public commentary. Racialized and disabled persons reported greater external interference in their work (e.g., from management and workplace policy).
An article in the Halifax Examiner quotes Robertson as saying “for the researchers who experience it, there’s decreased job satisfaction, in addition to the increased anxiety, stress, and uncertainty it brings.” Additionally, “when researchers can’t conduct their work, …we lose out on the scientific knowledge necessary to inform our approaches to grand challenges (e.g., combatting loss of biodiversity, protecting our ecosystems, and mitigating the effects of climate change.”
For complete details on the project, you can visit the interference in science project page.
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