Virtual meetings promise to eliminate geographical and administrative barriers and increase accessibility, diversity and inclusivity

Wu, Juncheng; Rajesh, Anushka; Huang, Yu-Ning; Chhugani, Karishma; Acharya, Rajesh; Peng, Kerui; Johnson, Ruth; Fiscutean, Andrada; Robles-Espinoza, Carla Daniela; Vega, Francisco M. De La; Bao, Riyue; Mangul, Serghei

doi:10.1038/s41587-021-01176-z

Cited by 50 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Positive aspects of this format include cost reduction (e.g. travelling, registration fees and logistics), decreased carbon footprint associated to travel (Remmel 2021 ; Wu et al 2022 ) and increased audience size, diversity and inclusion (Wu et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Organization Under the Covid-19 Pandemic Emergency: Challeng...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Editorial for ‘Issue focus on 2nd Costa Rica biophysics symposium — March 11th–12th, 2021’

2022

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Section: Organization Under the Covid-19 Pandemic Emergency: Challeng...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Editorial for ‘Issue focus on 2nd Costa Rica biophysics symposium — March 11th–12th, 2021’

2022

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“…Faced with the alternative of cancelling or postponing the academic conference, many organisers chose to change their format to virtual in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (Mubin et al, 2021 ; Roos et al, 2020 ; Wu et al, 2022 ). Fast improvements in videoconferencing technologies drastically alter the way academic conferences can be organised and participants are generally quick to learn how to use the software and tools.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fast improvements in videoconferencing technologies drastically alter the way academic conferences can be organised and participants are generally quick to learn how to use the software and tools. Examples include sharing of presentations, codes and data, use of the chat functions, smooth transition between sessions and recording of sessions (Skiles et al 2021 ; Wu et al, 2022 ). This means that the traditional face-to-face setting is no longer the only possible format for an academic conference.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reverse adoption of information and communication technology among organisers of academic conferences

Falk

Hagsten

2023

Scientometrics

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This study examines the formats offered for academic conferences in the mature stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two out of three organisers discontinue their usage of online video tools and focus on in-person conferences. Only one out of five conferences offers hybrid solutions and even fewer a virtual alternative (13%). Data for the analysis originate from 547 calls for proposals announced in Spring 2022 for conferences to be held during the period August 2022 to July 2023. Estimates using a multinomial logit model show that the planning time is significantly related to the choice of format offered. The longer the lead time, the more likely it is to offer an in-person conference. International travel restrictions and bans on gatherings for the location of the venue at the time of planning are significantly related to the choice of virtual, but not hybrid formats. There are also large differences in the choice across disciplines, with conferences in arts and humanities as well as natural sciences showing the lowest preference for the virtual format.

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“…Online-only meetings have a number of advantages, for instance: (i) enhanced accessibility by allowing attendance during periods of fieldwork or teaching (Bartlett et al, 2021), (ii) reduced carbon footprint (Burtscher et al, 2020; Tao et al, 2021), and (iii) lower participation costs with potentially reduced registration fees and no travel and accommodation costs. These advantages have greatly improved inclusivity for researchers and students from developing countries and with limited financial means (Chou and Camerlink, 2021; Wu et al, 2022) and were the reasons why a large online international conference on photonics was held just before the COVID-19 pandemic (Reshef et al, 2020). Thanks to these advantages, many online conferences showed higher registration rates compared to previous in-person meetings (e.g., Castelvecchi, 2020; Stefanoudis et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid conferences: opportunities, challenges and ways forward

Puccinelli

Zeppilli

Stefanoudis

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Hybrid conferences are in-person events that are also accessible online. This type of meeting format was rare pre-COVID-19 but started to become more common recently given the asynchronous global progression of the pandemic and the uneven access and distribution of vaccines that led to a large proportion of participants being unable to attend international conferences in person. Here we report the organization of a middle-sized (581 participants: 159 onsite, 422 online) international hybrid conference that took place in France in September 2021. We highlight particular organizational challenges inherent to this relatively new type of meeting format. Furthermore, we surveyed both in-person and online participants to better understand their conference experience and to propose improvements based on the feedback received. Finally, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of three types of conferences (onsite-only, online-only and hybrid) and suggest that hybrid events should be favored in the future because they offer the most flexibility to participants. We conclude by proposing suggestions and ways forward to maximize accessibility and inclusivity of hybrid conferences.

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Virtual meetings promise to eliminate geographical and administrative barriers and increase accessibility, diversity and inclusivity

Cited by 50 publications

References 15 publications

Editorial for ‘Issue focus on 2nd Costa Rica biophysics symposium — March 11th–12th, 2021’

Editorial for ‘Issue focus on 2nd Costa Rica biophysics symposium — March 11th–12th, 2021’

Reverse adoption of information and communication technology among organisers of academic conferences

Hybrid conferences: opportunities, challenges and ways forward

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