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Scientific associations in the German research system—Results of an empirical study

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Knowledge in Society

Abstract

Within contemporary science, scientific associations have been found to fulfill at least four functions: a communicative function that furthers scientific communication within a discipline or subdiscipline; a profesional function that supports individual careers and represents the collective interests of the members within a discipline; a transfer function that provides a meeting place for scientists and societal users of research results; and a promotion function that advises research institutes and political institutions in science policy decisions. This empirical study investigates German scientific associations and shows how and to what degree they fulfill these functions. The results of the study indicate that the communicative and the transfer functions dominate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck Institute fur Gesellschaftsforschung, Lothringer Strasse 78, 500, Koln 1, West Germany

    Uwe Schimank

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  1. Uwe Schimank
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Uwe Schimank is currently a research fellow at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Gesellschaftsforschung in Cologne. He received his doctorate in sociology at the University of Bielefeld. He is presently working on an analysis of the development of extra-university state-financed research institutes in the German research system.

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Schimank, U. Scientific associations in the German research system—Results of an empirical study. Knowledge in Society 1, 69–85 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02687214

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