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Part Promotion of Scientific Research

In planning policies for the promotion of scientific research in Japan, it is important to monitor Japan's level of research as compared with research levels of foreign nations. However, it is difficult to ascertain how high Japan's research level is, because scientific research covers a wide range of fields, and because the correct evaluation of research can not always be made over a short period of time.

However, it is possible to some extent to make estimates of Japan's research level using a combination of factors. In the international comparison of research levels, one factor is the subjective evaluation by researchers themselves and another is the objective evaluation which can be expressed quantitatively.

A survey was conducted in the field of natural sciences where international comparison is more feasible than in the humanities and social sciences. This survey (referred to as "the Survey of Research Achievements" hereafter) was funded by the Ministry's grants-in-aid for scientific research, and was conducted by a group of researchers on "the achievements at universities and related research institutes in Japan." Firstly, they investigated the subjective evaluation of Japan's research level through a questionnaire survey of Japanese researchers. Next, after making an investigation of appropriate indicators for quantitative comparison (See Chart 20), they made an analytical evaluation of Japan's research level in the natural sciences, using these indicators.

According to the results of the survey regarding indicators for quantitative comparison, the higher ratio of replies showed: the number of papers appearing in scientific journals and magazines, the number of invited speakers at international scientific meetings, the number of scientific prizes awarded and the frequency of citation as appropriate indicators.

The following paragraphs present the details of the analytical evaluation of Japan's research level using some of these objective indicators. Also, the subjective evaluation by researchers themselves is included to provide a better understanding about the research level of Japan.

Chart 20 Indicators for the Evaluation of Scientific Research