This fall, we will launch a new national survey of academic researchers. For over 20 years, Ithaka S+R has surveyed faculty across the US about their teaching and research needs and practices, but this is the first year that we are gathering more in-depth data specific to researchers. The survey will be fielded to over 210,000 people who are engaged in academic research, scholarship, or creative activity—across disciplines and job categories—at colleges and universities in the US. This new survey is designed to provide actionable insights about how academic libraries, research offices, academic publishers, and other stakeholders can best support researchers and ensure the health and vitality of the research enterprise.

The 2025 US Researcher Survey will delve into how researchers discover information and their data curation and management practices. Additionally, the instrument includes modules on collaborative research practices, approaches to AI and research integrity, and perspectives on research impact. We will also collect data on the effects of recent federal cuts to research funding and restrictions on academic freedom at both the state and federal level. We believe the survey’s findings will provide a multi-faceted perspective on researchers’ needs in a time of profound disruption to the research enterprise.

In preparing the new research instrument, we have relied on the expertise of a group of advisors to help shape the survey’s themes:

  • Nicole Branch, Dean of the University Library, Santa Clara University
  • Dan Cohen, Vice Provost for Information Collaboration, Dean of the Libraries, and Professor of History, Northeastern University
  • Colleen Fitzgerald, Vice President for Research and Creative Activity, North Dakota State University
  • Carlos Rodriguez, Dean of the University Library, California State University, Los Angeles
  • Xuemao Wang, Dean of Libraries, Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian, Northwestern University

We are looking forward to providing the community with a snapshot of researcher attitudes and practices. As we further develop and test our questionnaire, we will continue to share updates. As in previous iterations of the survey, responses will be deposited in the public repository ICPSR or a similar repository.

We are thankful to Clarivate and Taylor & Francis for their sponsorship of the survey. If your organization is interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to Dylan Ruediger (dylan.rudeiger@ithaka.org).