Writing for Impact in Service Research

For service researchers, contributing to academic advancement through academic publications is a raison d’être. Moreover, demand is increasing for service researchers to make a difference beyond academia. Thus, service researchers face the formidable challenge of writing in a manner that resonates with not just service academics but also practitioners, policy makers, and other stakeholders. In this article, the authors examine how service research articles’ lexical variations might influence their academic citations and public media coverage. Drawing on the complete corpus of Journal of Service Research ( JSR) articles published between 1998 and 2020, they use text analytics and thereby determine that variations in language intensity, immediacy, and diversity relate to article impact. The appropriate use of these lexical variants and other stylistic conventions depends on the audience (academic or the public), the subsection of this article in which they appear (e.g., introduction, implications), and article innovativeness. This article concludes with an actionable “how-to” guide for ways to increase article impacts in relation to different JSR audiences.

621 Impact Of COVID-19 On Surgical Training at A District General Hospital in London

Introduction COVID 19 affected surgical training owing to changes in rotations, moving trusts/departments, surgical skills acquisition and new guidelines/protocols during unprecedented times. Aim was to infer how redeployment impacted surgical skills via an objective and subjective study. Method A retrospective observational study comparing lead surgeons in Laparotomy and Appendectomies between 23rd March- 31st July (2019/2020). A subjective survey was done to elucidate perspectives on skill, academic advancement and trust/deanery support. A focussed group discussion was also done to gain insight on physical and psychological well-being. Results Laparotomy 2019 (n = 75) had 59%; 41%; 0% - Consultants/Registrars/ fellows respectively as lead surgeons. 2020 Laparotomies (n = 50) had 40% consultants; 41% registrars; 20% fellows Similarly, Appendectomy 2019 (n = 94) had 8.5% consultants; 71.3% registrars; 3.2% clinical fellows, whereas 2020 Appendectomies (n = 67) had 18% consultants; 71.6% registrars and 10.4% fellows. The Likert questionnaire showed 42.86% had mental exhaustion, less confidence/skills due to lesser opportunities/procedures. 57.14% expressed COVID 19 extremely affected surgical training while 28.14% believed in a reduction of 81-100% operative log book entries from before. Conclusions Although, the results were not significant in number of cases managed by trainees; many reported perceived loss of training( log book/portfolio), less teaching/training opportunities and mental exhaustion.

Improving physician diversity and inclusion benefits physicians and patients

A diverse physician workforce in the Canadian health care system would result in more cultural competence, greater patient satisfaction, and improved population health. However, increasing representation and diversity does not automatically resolve issues of inequity, inequality, and discrimination. In this article, we discuss three broad areas of health care — the clinical environment, academic advancement, and leadership — that require intentional, systemic change if we are to make a lasting impact in terms of increasing the diversity and inclusion of underrepresented groups in medicine, and consequently, improve health outcomes. Inclusive and equitable practices to target pay inequity, unconscious bias, opposition to career advancement, and sexual harassment are integral to diverse physician recruitment and retention. Equity strategies and checks to remediate systemic biases in academic advancement through grant funding, academic criteria of merit for promotion, and the acknowledgment of differences of experience can be employed to improve equity in academic medicine. The long-standing culture, policies, and traditions of institutions within the medical establishment must be combated with a collaborative effort to foster equity through the engagement of academics and physicians from underrepresented minority groups, and the implementation of implicit bias training and meaningful accountability for creating a safe, equitable work environment for diverse physicians. Any proposed solution to improve equity and diversity should not be taken as a fixed principle to follow uncritically, but rather as a starting point for understanding and implementing the unique changes required in various local contexts.

Scientific Online Communication

This paper presents the results of research aimed at studying the interrelations of scientists' online communications and their real academic achievements using the example of ResearchGate (RG). The goals of the study are to discover the spectrum of communication practices of RG users and define the influence of institutional factors and demographic characteristics on the users' network activity. The sample consisting of 4800 RG profiles is composed using a web scraping approach. Cluster analysis of the data reveals three clusters of RG users according to these practices (‘representation' and ‘exchange'). The study found that neither age nor status influence the network activity. However, ranking the institutional affiliation of users demonstrated the influence of institutional factors on their network behaviour. The verified results of the present research essentially contribute to the understanding of how a scientist should use the advantages of the network in his/her professional activity, and how to overcome institutional limits which inhibit academic advancement.

The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Students of Saudi Arabia

Background: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the numbers of cases and deaths worldwide have begun to increase, the closure of schools, universities, shops, workplaces, and the vast degree of precautionary actions, have left students feeling helpless, isolated, bored, and uncertain of what would happen to their academic advancement. Our study aims to assess the degree of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students in Saudi Arabia. Methods: During the early days of the pandemic, the survey sample was based on non-probability sampling. We conducted an online-based survey using a snowball sample technique. The survey collected data on several aspects of the participants, including the psychological impact of COVID-19, using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The current study shows an extensive analysis of the survey with a focus on the impact of the pandemic on students. Results: A total of 336 students were recruited for the study and responded to the survey. The IES-R showed that 7.1% and 23.8% of the students experienced moderate and severe symptoms, respectively. On the DASS stress subscale, 13.4% and 10.7% of students experienced severe and extremely severe stress symptoms, respectively. With regards to anxiety, 6.0% and 15.8% of students experienced severe and extremely severe symptoms, respectively. As much as 11.6% and 17.6% of the students experienced severe and extremely severe symptoms of depression, respectively. Females were more likely to experience symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), stress, anxiety, and depression. Having a family member working in the field of health/medicine was significantly associated with depression; poor to average health and previous diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder was associated with a higher chance of developing PTSD, stress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion: During the early days of the pandemic, nearly one-fourth of students experienced moderate to severe symptoms of PTSD. Our findings could help guide schools and universities in implementing a clear, effective strategy for students to navigate the coming academic year and expand the efforts made on academic and psychological counseling, especially for the vulnerable populations.

Female Professors Developing Intellectual Leadership in Hong Kong

Women scholars’ participation in higher education has been on the rise, but many obstacles (e.g., the gendered academic and cultural bias) are still in their way of academic advancement. Intellectual leadership in universities constitutes the key competence for academics. It implies faculty members’ capacity to influence the innovation of science and technology, the growth of institutions, the changes in society and culture. Compared with women’s formal leadership in academia, little is known about their development of intellectual leadership. This doctoral project applied the multiple-case study of twenty-two female full professors in Hong Kong. An integrated theoretical lens was used, referring to the cumulative advantage theory (Merton, 1968 &1988), the four-role framework of intellectual leadership (Macfarlane, 2013), and cultural factors affecting gender equality. This study reveals that disciplinary characteristics, neoliberal and managerial practices in universities, and patriarchal culture interplay and shape women scholars’ paths of accumulating intellectual capacity.