[PCST] Scientists' perceptions of the social and political implications oftheir research

[Toss Gascoigne]

Selected Papers Presented at the 9th International Conference on Science
and Technology Indicators

Scientists' perceptions of the social and political implications of
their research 

Henry Small1 , Ann Kushmerick1 and Doug Benson1

(1)  Thomson Scientific, 3501 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA


Received: 12 February 2007  Published online: 28 November 2007

Abstract  
We explore an empirical approach to studying the social and
political implications of science by gathering scientists' perceptions
of the social impacts of their research. It was found that 78 percent of
surveyed scientists from a variety of fields responding to a survey
indicated that the research performed in connection with a recent highly
cited paper had such implications.

Health related implications were the most common, but other types of
implications encountered were technological spin-offs, public understanding,
economic and policy benefits.

Surprisingly many scientists considered the advancement of
science itself to be a social implication of their research. The
relations of these implications to the field and topics of research are
examined, and a mapping of implications gives an overview of the major
dimensions of the social impacts of science.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/t534154638160538/fulltext.pdf


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Toss Gascoigne
President
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Toss Gascoigne
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