UNN Mass Comm Lecturer Secures Grant for Digital Media Research
Funmi Ogundare
Dr. Gever Verlumun, a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka ( UNN), has won a grant awarded by the Centre for Advanced Internet Studies, Bochum, Germany, in support of his Scopus-indexed journal, the Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, which is themed ‘Digital Media and Research in 21st-century Society: Assessing Current Trends and Projecting the Future’.
The grant will cover editing, printing, archiving, promotions and distribution.
Speaking during a virtual press conference recently, Verlumun, who is also the editor-in-chief of Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, explained that the special issue theme was important because digital media and modern technologies have continued to play huge roles in influencing different aspects of contemporary society.
He stated that the special issue of the Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies aims to understand how digital media and new technologies have changed research dynamics. Specific areas of interest include Artificial intelligence and research in contemporary society, Software and data analysis in contemporary society, and Digital media and intervention delivery.
Other areas are digital media and data collection, digital media and research, communicating research findings, and Digital media and research integrity.
The don, who has been ranked as Nigeria’s first communication scholar based on his publications in Scopus Scival author ranking of the top 500 scholars in Nigeria, noted that he had been able to maintain that position for the 2019-2022 and 2020-2023 ranking years, stating, “Scival is a research analytics tool from Elsevier that measures the metrics gathered from the Scopus dataset. It provides information on the research output of scholars, and it contributes to university ranking.”
He recalled that the management of Afe Babalola University ( ABUAD), Ado Ekiti, had recently rewarded deserving staff with a total of N12 million for their scholarly publications in Scopus-indexed journals in 2024, saying that this underscores the value inherent in Scopus publications.
Asked about the management’s reaction to his achievement, Verlumun stated that he had received a commendation letter from his Head of Department (HOD) appreciating his efforts and encouraging him to continue the good work.
He stressed the need for Nigeria to have fewer strike actions and attract more foreign scholars to improve its university ranking.
On whether he is hurrying to publish for promotion, the don said it is basically to make an impact and engineer debate, adding that lecturers should focus on research to make headway.
