Abstract
Do you remember the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic? Leaders had to make fast choices. But how did they know what to do? We looked at the work of a team of scientists from Imperial College London. They helped by sharing reports, news stories, and science papers – fast. We looked at 620 reports they put out between 2020 and 2022. We were curious. What types of reports did they produce? How fast did they share their work? Who used it? What did they study?
News stories reached leaders the fastest. About two months faster than normal science papers. That matters when people are getting sick! Reports and preprints were also created by the team. Governments from 41 different countries cited work from the team as they developed policy. The team also changed what they studied as the virus changed. This made their reports more useful for governments. Our study shows something important: sharing science quickly can help develop policy that keeps people safe.
The post How did scientists share their findings during the COVID-19 pandemic? appeared first on Science Journal for Kids and Teens.
