Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Scientific Production of Physical Education Researchers: A Five-Year Follow-Up Study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant changes in society’s dynamics, particularly affecting the landscape of education. Research in several areas may have been affected during periods of social restrictions. This study analyzed the curricula of 558 researchers across 27 graduate programs in physical education in Brazil to investigate the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientific publications. Researchers’ production from 2018 to 2022 underwent a comprehensive analysis, considering the total number of publications, Qualis rank, and journal impact factor. Data were analyzed using chi-squared and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Significance was set at 5%. Overall, the analyzed researchers published a total of 17,932 manuscripts from 2018 to 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decline of 16.4% in the number of articles published (p = 0.001). This decline was similar between men and women (p = 0.603) and was associated with a worsening in Qualis rank (p = 0.001). The number of studies published in journals with impact factors was also affected (p = 0.001). The findings suggest a potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the scientific production of Brazilian researchers in the field of physical education. Funding agencies should consider the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic before evaluating researchers and programs.