COVID-19 is not just altering everyday life; it’s also upending psychological research. As universities and colleges across the country go virtual, researchers are scrambling to protect their human participants and animal subjects, their scholarship and their careers.
“The research that will be affected first are studies that involve bringing groups of people together in close proximity,” says Jeff Zacks, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis, who chairs APA’s Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA). “But this is going to slow everybody down for 2020.”
To mitigate the impact, Zacks, his fellow BSA members and other experts offer the following advice.
Prepare to work remotely
Even if your university hasn’t told faculty to stay home yet, be ready, says Zacks. “Don’t leave mission critical information on paper in your office or lab,” he says. Make sure you have a laptop, charger, webcam, contact information for team members and access to any electronic materials you’ll need. If you don’t yet know how to use Skype, Zoom and Hangouts, now’s the time to learn. Work with your university to ensure that you’re using proper encryption and other security protocols when you’re analyzing and storing data off-site. Consider having calls to your study project line forwarded to a project staff person’s cellphone.
Check in with your program officer
It’s possible that federal agencies and other funders may extend deadlines. But since it’s not clear when the pandemic will be over, it’s important to think creatively about how to sustain your research over at least the next three to five months, says Carmela Alcántara, PhD, of Columbia University’s School of Social Work. Then reach out to your program officer and share how the crisis is affecting your work and how you plan to keep making progress.
Modify your research and analysis
Researchers who rely on undergraduates as research participants — and many other researchers who rely on face-to-face interaction to collect data — will have to hit pause or go online. If you’re shifting to remote data collection and storage, keep in mind that changing methodologies means modifying your institutional review board approval and doing another round of consents, says Alcántara.
Addressing digital literacy issues is another concern, she says. “There’s a segment of the population that knows Zoom well and others who don’t even know what it is,” she says. Data analysis will also have to take into account the new circumstances, says Debra A. Major, PhD, of Old Dominion University. “Survey responses may be affected by the changing landscape of people’s health concerns,” she points out, adding that researchers should document when data were received and control for those differences. You’ll also have to account for changing methods midstream, such as switching from paper and pencil surveys to online versions, she says.
Protect your human participants and animal subjects
“Universities are stopping any and all face-to-face human research because of the risks involved,” says Sangeeta Panicker, PhD, director of research ethics at APA, pointing to the risks for participants traveling to and being in labs as well as risks to the personnel keeping labs open. For Suzette M. Evans, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, which have nixed human research unless the benefits to patients outweigh the risks, that means “I’m out of commission. And while standard precautions protect both animals and researchers — and veterinary staff will remain on the job even if the university shuts down — Evans limits her visits to the animal lab because she doesn’t want to unnecessarily use masks and other resources that are in short supply.
Cross-train staff
“You want to reduce the likelihood of institutional knowledge being locked up with one person,” says Bethany A. Teachman, PhD, of the University of Virginia. “We don’t want people to feel pressured to come in.” By training other staff to do data management, for example, another team member can step in if someone gets sick.
Maintain communication with your team
Frequent communication is key to not only keeping the research going but also safeguarding your team’s mental health, says Teachman. In addition to weekly Zoom meetings, she has written to her team members to ask about their concerns and offer problem-solving help. “A big part of it is telling them that these are not normal times, and that it’s OK not to be as productive,” she says.
Do the things that you never have time for
“While it’s frustrating not to be able to do data collection, this is a great chance to work on a paper, take an online course, build that skill you were always saying you were going to do,” says Teachman. “It’s also a good time to write grant proposals.”
And keep research staff busy, too. “We can’t say, ‘I’m going to fire you temporarily but rehire you when we can recruit again,’” says Evans, who is putting staff to use checking data for journal articles in preparation.
And keep research staff busy, too. “We can’t say, ‘I’m going to fire you temporarily but rehire you when we can recruit again,’” says Evans, who is putting staff to use checking data for journal articles in preparation.
Support junior colleagues
Students, trainees and early career researchers are most vulnerable right now, say Major and others. As faculty, do what you can to help ensure they can continue progressing toward their goals and be flexible about deadlines. Reach out to junior colleagues and offer data sets they can work with or opportunities to collaborate with you. If you’re an early career researcher yourself, document how the crisis is affecting your research and talk to your chair about how you can protect your chances of tenure, says Major. And since conferences are likely to be canceled, find other ways to network and enhance your professional reputation, such as getting involved in APA divisions and videoconferencing with colleagues. Some researchers are keeping canceled conference presentations and the like on their CVs with an asterisk to show that the events were canceled due to COVID-19.
Keep things in perspective
“Right now, this is very traumatic for everyone,” says Evans. But, she and other researchers say, it’s important to remember that you’re not the only one in this situation and that normal research activities will eventually resume. Says Zacks, “It’s going to be OK.”
For information about how the pandemic will affect existing and future research awards and other information about National Institutes of Health (NIH) research, see the NIH FAQopens in new window and NIH’s information for applicants and recipients of NIH fundingopens in new window.
For similar information about National Science Foundation (NSF) research, see the NSF FAQopens in new window.
The Council on Government Relations is compiling a list of institutional and agency responsesopens in new window to the pandemic.
Have an idea for research about preventing or treating COVID-19? See NSF’s Dear Colleague Letteropens in new window about how to submit a research proposal.
