A recent editorial in Nature has raised important questions regarding the allocation of thinking time in a world dominated by instant communication. It emphasizes how essential it is for science to protect this invaluable resource.

Stop, Drop, and Think

Thinking time — the time needed to concentrate without interruptions has always been central to scholarly work. It is essential to designing experiments, compiling data, assessing results, reviewing literature, and, of course, writing. Yet, thinking time is often undervalued; it is rarely, if ever, quantified in employment practices.[1]

Theories of scientific and technological change view discovery and invention as endogenous processes, wherein previously accumulated knowledge enables future progress by allowing researchers to, in Newton’s words, “stand on the shoulders of giants”. Recent decades have witnessed exponential growth in the volume of new scientific and technological knowledge, thereby creating conditions that should be ripe for major advances. Yet contrary to this view, studies suggest that progress is slowing in several major fields including life sciences and biomedicine papers and drugs and medical patents.[2]

Questions Are the Answers We Are Looking For

What is the impact of lost concentration time on science — not just on the structure and process of science, but also on the content and quality of research? How could we use technology not to distract but to focus researchers on the important questions? How could we increase the quantity of high-quality research?

The loss of concentrated thinking time has far-reaching impacts on science. It affects not only the structure and process of scientific work but also the content and quality of research. In an age where distractions are everywhere, it is vital to consider how technology can help researchers focus on essential questions rather than diverting their attention.

Sqilline’s Scientific Offering

At Sqilline, we recognize the importance of thinking time and work hard to support researchers in their quest for knowledge. Our scientific offering enables users to conduct research and analyses on curated sets of aggregated, de-identified data across various disease areas. Our goal is to create new clinical knowledge and improve care delivery and patient outcomes. We have developed the Sqilline Scientific Research Project Flow to guide researchers from idea inception to publication, helping them answer questions like: Is there a clinical problem you want to solve? Do you have a hypothesis you want to test? Do you want to clarify your research question?

Implementing our analytics platform, Danny Platform, along with our medical expertise and collaboration with the scientific community, we enable researchers from clinical practices, research centers, academia, and non-profit organizations to formulate strong research questions with a clear focus and purpose. The findings derived can serve as the central claim or position in future medical publications.

We have made significant progress in this regard, supporting researchers maintain their focus and maximize the quality of their work. As the editorial in Nature highlights, protecting thinking time in an era of instant communication is crucial. At Sqilline, we are committed to supporting researchers by providing solutions and services that support focused, high-quality research. By providing the necessary resources and supporting thinking time, we contribute to the advancement of science.

 

[1] Editorial: Scientists need more time to think. Nature 631, 709 (2024)

[2] Park, M., Leahey, E. & Funk, R.J. Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time. Nature 613, 138–144 (2023).