“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Hungarian scientist
One of the most common queries I get is, what does a researcher do? To put it simply, researchers identify questions to which answers are needed, find new ways to look at old problems, and communicate their insights to the world. These are critical knowledge-building tasks, and academia is driven by the need for continual innovation and the intense pressure to publish. But rarely does anyone stop to ask – What does a researcher need? It is important to understand what the people behind some of the most important academic breakthroughs today need to succeed and what forms of support are available for them.
The genesis of Researcher.Life
Cactus Communications’ has served as a trusted partner to over 500,000 researchers across the world, having improved the quality of more than 2 million papers over the past 19 years. And this association with researchers has offered us valuable perspectives on their lives, distinct from those of other stakeholders within academia. What’s more, these insights, coupled with our expertise, put us in an ideal position to address the most important researcher needs. So, how did we do this?
We created Researcher.Life, an ecosystem of smart products, novel concepts, and a nurturing global community for researchers that aims to smoothen their publishing journey, accelerate success, and support their well-being. By putting the researcher back at the center of research, Researcher.Life empowers and equips researchers to do more, be more, and succeed more at every stage.
Covering three broad researcher themes to ensure your all-round researcher success
Researchers are known to deal with problems that fit into three broad themes:
(1) a struggle for time
(2) a lack of proper support, training, and mentorship; and
(3) a struggle to understand or meet submission requirements of journals.
1. Researcher.Life gives back time to researchers
Time is of the essence, and researchers know this far too well. On average, they spend 4 hours a week searching for research articles and 5+ hours a week reading them, with only half of this time being of use.1 In an attempt to boost researcher productivity, we developed a personalized research recommender that simplifies content discovery, giving them back time they can then use to do more of what they love
2. Researcher.Life mentors and supports researchers
Most researchers, especially early career researchers, need effective guidance as they navigate the path to success. A recent study showed that 49% of PhD students surveyed spend less than 1 hour a week with supervisors, while 60% sought help online, and even then, they only looked to solve for immediate issues.2 We wanted to help expand researcher knowledge, and so developed a learning platform with the largest suite of researcher-focused online courses designed to address specific areas of focus for each step of the researcher journey!
Research data focusing on the challenges of early career researchers emphasize the lack of a global community of academic storytellers that care about and inspire each other by sharing personal insights. Furthermore, the CACTUS Foundation Global Mental Health Survey, which captured the views of over 13,000 researchers, highlighted the need to address factors affecting researchers’ mental well-being. All of this led us to establish a global community platform to provide researchers across the world with a safe, nurturing environment, where they are encouraged to voice their concerns, share their experiences and create connections that help them grow and thrive.
3. Researcher.Life accelerates research publication
In academia, publications are crucial to advancing careers, building reputations, and creating impact. And so, a top concern for researchers everywhere is the pressure to publish. But with 21% of the manuscripts submitted to major journals being desk-rejected,3 achieving this goal can be difficult. Even ground-breaking research can be rejected because of avoidable language errors, unintentional plagiarism, or non-compliance with basic journal-submission criteria.
We have been intimately familiar with these challenges for nearly two decades. Our premium language and publication-support services reduce the anxiety related to possible rejection because of manuscripts being poorly prepared.
In addition, we combined all our years of expertise with advanced technology to create an AI manuscript optimizer to run instant checks for a manuscript’s submission readiness. This set of tools is specifically designed to help researchers avoid desk rejection and accelerate the publication process.
Another technological researcher-focused initiative we launched was the creation of the world’s largest AI-powered database of COVID-19–related information, including research, news, literature reviews, clinical trial information, and educational resources on COVID-19. This repository helps researchers stay updated on and find answers to some of the most crucial problems plaguing the world today, all within a shorter time period than may have taken otherwise.
Finally, we have also developed a smart journal finder that helps researchers find the right target journal for their manuscript.
The researcher ecosystem addresses typical pain points at different stages in a researcher’s life and career, and when used together, can simplify and accelerate researchers’ journey to success. We’re determined to find new solutions for old problems faced by researchers, and are eager to improve along the way. It’s time for something different.
If you’re ready for a change, sign up on Researcher.Life today!
References:
- Elsevier and Sense about Science, Trust in Research report, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.elsevier.com/connect/trust-in-research?SQ_VARIATION_904314=0
- Chris Woolston, A message for mentors from dissatisfied graduate students. Nature, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03535-y
- Mark Ware, Peer review: benefits, perceptions, and alternatives. Publishing Research Consortium, 2008. Available online at https://ils.unc.edu/courses/2015_fall/inls700_001/Readings/Ware2008-PRCPeerReview.pdf
