tag: Researchers
Blog Post
April 21, 2026
Monitoring State and Federal Policy Impacts on Research Practices
New Findings from Ithaka S+R
In 2024, we conducted a national survey of instructors, which included a subset of questions exploring faculty perceptions of academic freedom, whether there were topics they avoided when talking to their fellow faculty or students, and the extent to which they felt supported by their institution. This week we published the first set of findings from a survey of academic researchers we conducted last fall.
Issue Brief
April 20, 2026
The Impact of State and Federal Policies on Academic Researchers
Findings from a National Survey
Last fall, Ithaka S+R fielded a national survey of researchers at US academic institutions. The survey included several questions about academic freedom within the research enterprise, and those findings are the subject of this brief.
Upcoming Event
June 22, 2026
Research Communities: The Role of the Research Enterprise in Student Success and Society
This session at the ConnectUR 2026 conference proposes a novel framework, Research Communities, for conceptualizing learning and student success in higher ed, and summarizes progress towards developing Ithaka S+R’s Research Communities portfolio, a set of completed and prospective research projects centered on studying three topics fundamental to the continued functioning of higher ed: the researcher pipeline (how people become and remain researchers), democratizing research (how researchers relate to society), and community organization (how researchers work together). Learn more about…
Research Report
March 25, 2026
Sustaining Open Source Software in the Research Enterprise
Findings from a One-Day Workshop
“Sustaining Open Source Software in the Research Enterprise” (SOSSRE), a one-day in-person workshop made possible with generous funding from the National Science Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and a gift from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, was designed to bolster the ecosystem of open source research software and develop holistic pathways for sustaining it within higher education.
Past Event
December 10, 2025
Sustaining Open Source in the Research Enterprise
At the Apereo Foundation MicroConference on December 10, 2025, Dylan Ruediger and Chelsea McCracken will report on the key findings and recommendations of “Sustaining Open Source Software in the Research Enterprise,” a workshop hosted on August 8 by Ithaka S+R and the Apereo Foundation and funded by the National Science Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The workshop brought together 40 people across OSS communities of practice to discuss how OSS created by researchers in the…
Blog Post
September 22, 2025
The US Researcher Survey 2025 Is Open
Earlier today, we launched the 2025 US Researcher Survey. Adapted from the US Faculty Survey, 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.
Blog Post
July 30, 2025
Announcing the 2025 US Researcher Survey
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.
Blog Post
March 27, 2025
What Challenges Do Academic Researchers Experience and How Do Campus Data Service Providers Assist Them?
New Report Shares Findings from a Qualitative Study of Researchers at 29 Higher Ed Institutions
In recent years, as funders have increased their expectations for data sharing and machine learning use cases have multiplied, the need to develop an efficient infrastructure of research support services has become a strategic priority for many colleges and universities. To inform university decision making, Ithaka S+R has collaborated over the past two years with 29 US and Canadian institutions to develop strategies for improving the coordination of research data support services offered across different campus offices.
Research Report
March 27, 2025
Researcher Challenges and Experiences with Data Services
While there is general consensus that institutions should provide a coordinated research data services support infrastructure to their researchers, determining the most effective way to do this has proven more difficult, especially in light of the fast-paced technological changes that have precipitated new forms of research collaborations, methodologies, and discoveries. In this report, we share findings from interviews with researchers that provide information about their data management needs and their current level of engagement with campus data services.
Blog Post
September 11, 2024
From Drawing to Doing
The Implementation of Cross-Campus Research Data Services Solutions
In February 2023, Ithaka S+R launched Building Campus Strategies for Coordinated Data Support, a project designed to help universities create viable strategies for delivering and sustaining research data service across campus. Following workshops to conceptualize new approaches or solutions to service delivery, cohort teams revisited some of the design thinking activities on their own campuses and honed in on a tangible idea or solution to implement.