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The first shake-up of scientific funding and focus in Russia for almost 30 years could transform the image of the country's research institutes as the crumbling casualties of the collapse of communism. The reforms, which were announced in March 2002 by Ilyia Klebanov, minister of science, will see spending increase fivefold with the aim of attracting young scientists to careers in research so that thousands of older institute employees can be pensioned off. The policy aims to concentrate Russia's resources on nine key fields: telecommunications, electronics, new materials, space research, energy conservation, chemistry, aviation, the arms industry and transport.

This article discusses the results of a survey on academic freedom and research ethics. Topics include publishing suppression, falsification of results, and research restriction.

Issues are presented concerning the research into ultrafast physics, cosmology, particle physics and gravitational wave physics which is being carried out in centers managed by the National Science Foundation.

Do PhD-level clinical psychologists who work in academic settings engage in both research and clinical practice, as the Boulder model recommends? Clinical psychology faculty members in 3 types of psychology departments were surveyed regarding their actual and preferred work activities and their attitudes toward clinical practice. Respondents indicated that they spent more than twice as much time in research as in clinical activity, with many (44%) reporting no involvement in clinical practice. Implications of declining practice among clinical faculty include potentially ineffective instruction in clinical course work, less informed clinical research, and the devaluing of clinical practice in traditional academic settings. Recommendations for facilitating practice among clinical faculty who wish to do so are proposed.

Objective: This report describes a method for linking separate confidential data sets that contain personal identifying information while preserving required anonymity. Methods: Research data were linked with child abuse and neglect (CAN) report data by an independent 'safe' analyst using an identical set of unique identifier codes assigned to each case in both data sets after all personal identifiers had been removed. Results: The research team never learned CAN report status of individuals, the state agency never saw the research data, and the desired analyses were completed using the merged data set. Conclusions: The method was successfully used to merge data from separate sources without divulging confidential information. Keywords: Confidentiality; Databases; Identification; Privacy; Research design

An evaluation is presented of academic objectives, with the proposal thatof intellectual stimulation and human interest. Personal career development and reputation are cited as two misguided aims.

This article discusses the controversy over name and management of the Michael Polanyi Center. Topics include the protection of controversial ideas and research on the origin of the universe.

Issues concerning maintaining integrity in scientific research and the declaration of conflicts of interest are discussed. Both the research scientists and those responsible for its funding need guidance.

Issues surrounding the teaching of knowledge supported by research in the area of social work education are examined. Includes reference to the present system of education and its historical context.

The reasons why firms taking part in cooperative research projects may want to hide information about own subsidies to their partners are examined.

The interests of research consortia members may differ from those of other members, and conflict with selected projects. The cooperative game involved is assessed, as are conditions needed for optimal cooperation.

Philippe Busquin, the European Union's new research commissioner, is keen for the commission's research budget to concentrate on projects that raise the quality of life in Europe, as well as its economic competitiveness. Busquin has a background in science, teaching physics at a teacher-training college before moving into politics full time in 1977. His main priority is to create a European scientific community.

The authors discuss the problem with failing to sample stimuli in social psychological experimentation. Although commonly construed as an issue for external validity, the authors emphasize how failure to sample stimuli also can threaten construct validity. They note some circumstances where the need for stimulus sampling is less obvious and more obvious, and they discuss some well-known cognitive biases that can contribute to the failure of researchers to see the need for stimulus sampling. Data are presented from undergraduate students (N = 106), graduate students (N = 72), and psychology faculty (N = 48) showing insensitivity to the need for stimulus sampling except when the problem is made rather obvious. Finally, some of the statistical implications of stimulus sampling with particular concern for power, effect size estimates, and data analysis strategies are noted.

Scientific research at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comprises a 'discontinuous series of broad, shallow efforts' according to an EPA research office assessment. The assessment notes that the EPA's main constituencies appear to view science and analysis as an obstacle to regulatory action. It calls for special provisions to be made for the Office of Research and Development to plan and support mid-term research.

The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, houses the Institute of Advanced Studies along with an undergraduate teaching program. The academics employed by the Institute of Advanced Studies do not teach undergraduates but carry out research. The institute is funded by a block grant awarded each year. A member of the institute points out lecturers often do not have time to carry out research if they are expected to teach. He also suggests competition for research funding may result in research projects being comprised in order to meet new criteria.

Academics in Britain are concerned about the transparency and accountability review of research which is being introduced into eight pilot universities. Universities will have to cost staff activities by department, subject and type of research sponsor. The review will mean increased paperwork and closer scrutiny of spending decisions, placing additional burdens on an already under-funded system.

There is a continuum between disclosure and concealment in fieldwork, and some studies clearly involve covert methods and deception. They may be justified on the grounds of protecting subjects, or on the grounds that deception is commonplace and covert research is does not involve more immorality than commonly displayed behavior. There are a number of risks that research can give rise to which researchers may not fully appreciate. Covert methods can also lead to greater anxiety about informed consent, and ways in which it may be bypassed.

A study was conducted to explore what could and should be a reasonable response rate in academic studies. One hundred and forty-one papers which included 175 different studies were examined. They were published in the Academy of Management Journal, Human Relations, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Journal of International Business Studies in the years 1975, 1985, and 1995, covering about 200,000 respondents. The average response rate was 55.6 with a standard deviation of 19.7. Variations among the journals such as the year of publication and other variables were discussed. Most notable is the decline through the years (average 48.4, standard deviation of 20.1, in 1995), the lower level found in studies involving top management or organizational representatives (average 36.1, standard deviation of 13.3), and the predominance of North American studies. It is suggested that the average and standard deviation found in this study should be used as a norm for future studies, bearing in mind the specific reference group. It is also recommended that a distinction is made between surveys directed at individual participants and those targeting organizational representatives. KEY WORDS: response rate; return rate; questionnaires; empirical studies; research methods., INTRODUCTION Many studies in the managerial and behavioral sciences use questionnaires as a means of acquiring information. To conduct research and publish the results, scholars depend on the willingness of [...]

A US National Academy of Sciences committee has called for assessment of research performance to consider the quality of research, its relevance to the goals of funding agencies and its contribution to various fields. The Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPUP) has warned that the purpose of evaluation could be undermined by focusing on short-term results, and it recommends that the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) be extended, by developing assessments of projects involving several agencies.