Changing research paradigm in the face of a global pandemic: Foreseeable impact and adaptive measures in academic research in the future

Abstract

The Coronavirus disease 2 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a massive rise in research in a bid to understand more about the new disease and better cope with the pandemic. The need for social distance and limited human movement in open spaces since the COVID-19 outbreak has brought most forms of research to a standstill. While most research incentives have been directed towards research regarding the pandemic, diminished patient visits, have paralysed all the studies requiring personal and physical examination. The majority of social interactions have been reduced to a screen, and this is also the new practice in the research realm. This unique situation calls for a need to re-examine research practices and reinvent novel methods for quality research. While it is prudent to step up research to understand the disease and its impact on varied conditions, the situation also necessitates a close watch for misinformation, erroneous reporting, and failure of ethical research. Moreover, there is a need to derive validated tools for remote assessment to minimise risk to patients and physicians alike. In this brief, we discuss the perceived changes and potential areas for erroneous research reporting while providing possible solutions for fruitful research in the peri-pandemic period. We also identify new methods for conducting studies and setbacks that could be faced while carrying out such tasks, including those of methodological, ethical and financial nature. We hope these may shape researcher perspectives and help them conduct ethical and valid research in these particularly trying times.