OTTAWA, September 27, 2012 - The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences welcomes today’s report on the state of science and technology in Canada, which highlights the contributions of research in the arts, humanities and social sciences to Canada’s research enterprise.
In its report entitled The State of Science and Technology in Canada, 2012, the Council of Canadian Academies’ expert panel emphasized the impressive international impact of science and technology research in knowledge generation, and highlighted many areas of significant improvement in the quality of Canadian research since its last report in 2006.
Three of the six research fields in which Canada excels globally are in the arts, humanities and social sciences: historical studies, psychology and cognitive science, and visual and performing arts.
“The report clearly demonstrates the value of building up Canada’s research capacity. But we’re especially pleased that the report also underlines that research in arts, humanities and social sciences is essential to defining and strengthening Canada’s position as a leader in the international research community,” said Graham Carr, president of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS). “Clearly, Canada is well-positioned to capitalize on the disciplinary diversity of its expertise and become leaders in innovation.”
In addition to the six fields in which Canada excels, the panel identified nine sub-fields in which Canada is a world leader in scientific impact, including business and management, classics, and criminology. Canada is also poised for leadership in the development and application of digital media research, which the panel identified as a rapidly emerging area of importance.
In an attempt to better integrate research outputs in the humanities and social sciences, the panel used a database with greater coverage of research in these disciplines, broadening the scope of the bibliometric analysis that was used in the 2006 report.
“We commend the panel for their more comprehensive and inclusive approach to analyzing research impact, which better captures and reflects the contributions of research in arts, humanities and social sciences,” Dr. Carr added.
While it is generally acknowledged there is no perfect method for measuring output in the social sciences and humanities, CFHSS is committed to furthering the dialogue on how best to measure impacts, progress and excellence in these disciplines.
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Media inquiries:
Mélanie Béchard
Communications Officer
Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
613-238-6112 ext. 303
mbechard@fedcan.ca