Whether the goal is to identify and describe trends and variation in populations, create new measures of key phenomena, or describe samples in studies aimed at identifying causal effects, description plays a critical role in the scientific process in general and education research in particular. Descriptive analysis identifies patterns in data to…

This report critically examines studies of how scientific research drives innovation which is then translated into socio-economic benefits. It focuses on research evaluation insights that are relevant not only to the academic community, but also to policymakers and evaluation practitioners--and particularly to biomedical and health research…

This article focuses on five quantitative indicators for patents and scientific literature. These indicators characterize Japan as a technological powerhouse and in an expanding but far less powerful scientific position. Several tables and graphs are provided. (YP)

According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), scientific leaders estimated in 1982 that between $1 and $4 billion was necessary to update university research equipment. Because of this large cost variance, GAO was requested to assess how well past studies have defined the nationwide deficiency in university research equipment and to suggest…

Discusses the need for critical review of expert scientific findings used in the development of social policy. Uses the case of dissent from the Institute of Medicine's report on health care for the homeless to illustrate the conflict between scientific and practical moral objectivity. (FMW)