TY - JOUR

T1 - Validity of energy social research during and after COVID-19

T2 - challenges, considerations, and responses

AU - Fell, Michael J.

AU - Pagel, Laura

AU - Chen, Chien fei

AU - Goldberg, Matthew H.

AU - Herberz, Mario

AU - Huebner, Gesche M.

AU - Sareen, Siddharth

AU - Hahnel, Ulf J.J.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2020/10

Y1 - 2020/10

N2 - Measures to control the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are having unprecedented impacts on people's lives around the world. In this paper, we argue that those conducting social research in the energy domain should give special consideration to the internal and external validity of their work conducted during this pandemic period. We set out a number of principles that researchers can consider to give themselves and research users greater confidence that findings and recommendations will still be applicable in years to come. Largely grounded in existing good practice guidance, our recommendations include collecting and reporting additional supporting contextual data, reviewing aspects of research design for vulnerability to validity challenges, and building in longitudinal elements where feasible. We suggest that these approaches also bring a number of opportunities to generate new insights. However, we caution that a more systemic challenge to validity of knowledge produced during this period may result from changes in the kinds of social research that it is practicable to pursue.

AB - Measures to control the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are having unprecedented impacts on people's lives around the world. In this paper, we argue that those conducting social research in the energy domain should give special consideration to the internal and external validity of their work conducted during this pandemic period. We set out a number of principles that researchers can consider to give themselves and research users greater confidence that findings and recommendations will still be applicable in years to come. Largely grounded in existing good practice guidance, our recommendations include collecting and reporting additional supporting contextual data, reviewing aspects of research design for vulnerability to validity challenges, and building in longitudinal elements where feasible. We suggest that these approaches also bring a number of opportunities to generate new insights. However, we caution that a more systemic challenge to validity of knowledge produced during this period may result from changes in the kinds of social research that it is practicable to pursue.

KW - COVID-19

KW - Energy

KW - Social science

KW - Validity

KW - Psychology

KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85086838583&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101646

DO - 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101646

M3 - Comments / Debate / Reports

C2 - 32839692

AN - SCOPUS:85086838583

VL - 68

JO - Energy Research and Social Science

JF - Energy Research and Social Science

SN - 2214-6296

M1 - 101646

ER -