Academic research paper cited as most widely read and downloaded in key journal

A University of Wolverhampton researcher’s paper is one of the most widely read and downloaded papers during its first 12 months of publication in the Knowledge and Process Management journal.  

The research paper - "Managing COVID-19-related knowledge: A smart cities perspective" - covered effective management of the recent Covid-19 pandemic and the urgent need to improve epidemic prevention with rapid response and immediate solutions, deploying appropriate knowledge management procedures and facilitating effective decision-making and managerial efforts.  

Managing pandemic-related knowledge necessitates filtering, cleaning, keeping, and sharing only useful data and the aim of the paper was to investigate managing knowledge related to pandemic from a smart cities’ perspective. The paper concludes that employing smart cities technologies enables effective engagement of the public during the pandemic and facilitates two-way communication, which has a great impact on following the preventive measures. In turn, this not only influences the infection rate, but also it has a great impact on the pressure placed on the nation’s healthcare infrastructure.  

However, it is still a great challenge for governments, public health agencies, and knowledge management practitioners to capture and manage the huge and complex amount of knowledge and information needed to be communicated to the public.  

Dr Suresh Renukappa, Reader in Sustainable Value Creation stated that: “This achievement is a testament to the quality of research and the relevance of our findings. It's incredibly gratifying to see our work resonating with others in the academic community and beyond. Each download represents an opportunity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in our field and make a meaningful impact on the world.” 

Professor Subashini Suresh, Professor of Knowledge Management said: “I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our research team for their invaluable contributions to this work. Together, we have produced a piece of research that is not only well-received but also serves as a testament to our collective efforts and expertise.” 

The practical implication of this paper was that it informs policy and decision-makers on lessons learnt from effective management of knowledge related to the pandemic from a smart cities perspective. The paper provides decision-makers and emergency authorities with richer insights so that they could have more theoretical framing and knowledge of the role of smart city strategies in managing the pandemic and other future outbreaks with a systemic and integrated view. 

If you would like further information about the paper, please contact Dr Suresh Renukappa (suresh.renukappa@wlv.ac.uk) or Professor Subashini Suresh (S.Subashini@wlv.ac.uk). 

Anyone interested in studying for courses in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Wolverhampton should register for one of our forthcoming Open Days. 

ENDS