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From intent to implementation: Factors affecting public involvement in life science research

John. A. Burns, Kora Korzec, View ORCID ProfileEmma R. Dorris
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/748889
John. A. Burns
1Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United States
2American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, United States
†Now at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United States
3eLife Ambassador for Good Practice in Science
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Kora Korzec
4eLife Sciences Publishing, Cambridge, UK
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Emma R. Dorris
3eLife Ambassador for Good Practice in Science
5UCD Centre for Arthritis Research, School of Medicine, UCD Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
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  • ORCID record for Emma R. Dorris
  • For correspondence: emma.dorris@ucd.ie
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Abstract

Public involvement is key to closing the gap between research production and research use, and the only way to achieving ultimate transparency in science. The majority of life science research is not public-facing, but is funded by the public and impacts the community. We undertook a survey of researchers within the life sciences to better understand their views and perceived challenges to involving the public in their research. We had a valid response cohort of n=110 researchers, of whom 90% were primarily laboratory based. Using a mixed methods approach, we demonstrate that a top-down approach is key to motivate progression of life scientists from feeling positive towards public involvement to actually engaging in it. Researchers who viewed public involvement as beneficial to their research were more likely to have direct experience of doing it. We demonstrate that the systemic flaws in the way life sciences research enterprise is organised, including the promotion system, hypercompetition, and time pressures are major barriers to involving the public in the scientific process. Scientists are also apprehensive of being involuntarily involved in the current politicized climate, misinformation and publicity hype surrounding science nowadays makes them hesitant to share their early and in-progress research. The time required to deliberate study design and relevance, plan and build relationships for sustained involvement, provide and undertake training, and improve communication in the current research environment is often considered nonpragmatic, particularly for early career researchers. In conclusion, a top-down approach involving institutional incentives and infrastructure appears most effective at transitioning researchers from feeling positive towards public involvement to actually implementing it.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted August 28, 2019.
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From intent to implementation: Factors affecting public involvement in life science research
John. A. Burns, Kora Korzec, Emma R. Dorris
bioRxiv 748889; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/748889
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From intent to implementation: Factors affecting public involvement in life science research
John. A. Burns, Kora Korzec, Emma R. Dorris
bioRxiv 748889; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/748889

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