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A research agenda for geographic information science

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A close relationship exists between GIS and numerous applications, including cartography, photogrammetry, geodesy, surveying, computer and information science, and statistics, among others. Scientists coined the term “geographic information science (GIScience)" to describe the theory behind these fields. A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science extensively details the issues and fundamental scientific problems that must be solved if the use of GIS in these and other fields is to advance. Immediately following the founding of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), the group identified in a Research Agenda the topics that represented major challenges to the GIS research community. The first chapter of this book delivers an introduction to the agenda and to the collective guidance that the agenda provides to researchers. Chapters 2-10 discuss nine original research challenges. Chapters 11-14 provide the basis of the agenda’s four “Emerging Themes.” Each chapter, written by researchers involved in the conception of the topics, discusses basic research elements, the UCGIS approach, the need for the National research agenda, contributions to knowledge and society, and offers a complete set of references. The final section draws general conclusions about the UCGIS approach and the defined research challenges.

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T1 - A research agenda for geographic information science

AU - Mc Master, Robert B

AU - Usery, E. Lynn

N2 - A close relationship exists between GIS and numerous applications, including cartography, photogrammetry, geodesy, surveying, computer and information science, and statistics, among others. Scientists coined the term “geographic information science (GIScience)" to describe the theory behind these fields. A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science extensively details the issues and fundamental scientific problems that must be solved if the use of GIS in these and other fields is to advance. Immediately following the founding of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), the group identified in a Research Agenda the topics that represented major challenges to the GIS research community. The first chapter of this book delivers an introduction to the agenda and to the collective guidance that the agenda provides to researchers. Chapters 2-10 discuss nine original research challenges. Chapters 11-14 provide the basis of the agenda’s four “Emerging Themes.” Each chapter, written by researchers involved in the conception of the topics, discusses basic research elements, the UCGIS approach, the need for the National research agenda, contributions to knowledge and society, and offers a complete set of references. The final section draws general conclusions about the UCGIS approach and the defined research challenges.

AB - A close relationship exists between GIS and numerous applications, including cartography, photogrammetry, geodesy, surveying, computer and information science, and statistics, among others. Scientists coined the term “geographic information science (GIScience)" to describe the theory behind these fields. A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science extensively details the issues and fundamental scientific problems that must be solved if the use of GIS in these and other fields is to advance. Immediately following the founding of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), the group identified in a Research Agenda the topics that represented major challenges to the GIS research community. The first chapter of this book delivers an introduction to the agenda and to the collective guidance that the agenda provides to researchers. Chapters 2-10 discuss nine original research challenges. Chapters 11-14 provide the basis of the agenda’s four “Emerging Themes.” Each chapter, written by researchers involved in the conception of the topics, discusses basic research elements, the UCGIS approach, the need for the National research agenda, contributions to knowledge and society, and offers a complete set of references. The final section draws general conclusions about the UCGIS approach and the defined research challenges.

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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=78649523392&partnerID=8YFLogxK

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BT - A research agenda for geographic information science

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Creating a Research Agenda

by UW alumni Justin Reedy, Ph.D., Communication, and Madhavi Murty, Ph.D., Communication, in conversation with UW graduate students

Creating a research agenda should be a major goal for all graduate students—regardless of theoretical interests, methodological preferences, or career aspirations. A research agenda helps you orient yourself toward both short- and long-term goals; it will guide your selection of classes, help you decide which academic conferences (and within those, which specific divisions) to engage in, and steer you in recruiting mentors and research collaborators.

What is a research agenda?  It’s a plan and a focus on issues and ideas in a subset of your field. You cannot study everything in your field during your time in graduate school, so decide what to focus on now, and what to defer until another day.

Research agendas are not set in concrete;  they naturally change over time as your knowledge grows and as new research questions emerge.

Don’t be intimidated.  Many students may start a graduate program with only a few ideas of areas they would like to study, or perhaps a few general research questions. Graduate courses, conversations with faculty and fellow students, and time spent reading the literature in the field can help you start to form a research agenda out of those ideas or research questions.

How to get started

• Talk with faculty members about your general interests. Use faculty as a resource to find out which topics are over-studied and where additional work is needed.
• If there are students with similar or overlapping interests, get their perspectives as well.
• Read a great deal, even in the early weeks of your graduate work. Be open to reading research outside your immediate areas of interests and seeing how they link to your own areas.
• Ask faculty for reading lists or copies of syllabi. Such resources help you familiarize yourself with the research already done in areas that interest you. Be sure to follow up on citations that are interesting or intriguing.
• Identify key authors relevant to your interests. Read their scholarship and understand the work that has informed their research.

Advancing your agenda

• Identify courses that will help advance your research agenda—both in terms of specific knowledge about the issues and relevant methods. Remember that the title of a class might not always fully describe it, so contact the professor to find out more about class content.
• Look both inside and outside the department for classes—and look outside especially in your second year in the program. Graduate students in interdisciplinary fields, for example, may find very valuable classes in diverse departments.
• Think specifically about the research questions you want to ask, and think about how you will answer them. Then pick courses to help you in reaching this goal.
• Try to use class assignments to advance your research agenda. If possible, use each seminar paper as a way to focus on a specific part of your overall agenda —whether it be a literature review or a proposal for a study.
• Don’t be afraid to take a chance on a course that seems somewhat outside of your agenda or your comfort zone. If the topics or research methods covered in the course draw your interest, you could find a way to incorporate those into your overarching research agenda.

Conference papers, colloquia, and research articles

• Ask faculty members if they have research projects in which you can participate.
• Work with more than one faculty member. Different faculty members provide different perspectives even if they are interested in the same concepts.
• Talk to faculty and other graduate students about conferences you should attend (and conference paper deadlines). Use conference paper deadlines to pace your own research production.
• Present your work at conferences, listen to others’ ideas, and solicit feedback on your research.
• Consider working towards the publication of your papers. With enough feedback and guidance from faculty, fellow graduate students, and colleagues in the field, what starts out as a seminar or conference paper could turn into a journal article or book chapter.
• Attend talks and colloquia on campus—both inside and outside your department. These talks can help you generate research ideas and help you see your research in a new light.
• Recruit others to work with you on projects. Student collaborations are especially fruitful when the constituent members have similar interests, but bring different yet complementary perspectives and skills to the endeavor.

Be active: Be a part of the conversation in your field!

Developing a research agenda: contributing new knowledge via intent and focus

• Published: 29 December 2013
• Volume 26 , pages 54–68, ( 2014 )

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• Peggy A. Ertmer 1 &
• Krista D. Glazewski 2  

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It is generally believed that new PhD graduates begin their first faculty positions having already outlined a research agenda that will guide their work during the next several years of their careers. Yet very little guidance is provided regarding how to accomplish this important task. In fact, little explanation is provided about what, exactly, a research agenda is. In this paper, we define a research agenda and discuss why it is important for scholars to establish one. We discuss how strong research questions provide the foundation for a strong research agenda and provide specific ideas for articulating one’s contributions to the field. We end with some primary considerations involved in accomplishing this important task, including suggestions for how to determine your specific focus, interest, community, and context.

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Ertmer, P.A., Glazewski, K.D. Developing a research agenda: contributing new knowledge via intent and focus. J Comput High Educ 26 , 54–68 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-013-9076-4

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A research agenda for geographic information science

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A collaboratively derived international research agenda on legislative science advice

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• Politics and international relations
• Science, technology and society

The quantity and complexity of scientific and technological information provided to policymakers have been on the rise for decades. Yet little is known about how to provide science advice to legislatures, even though scientific information is widely acknowledged as valuable for decision-making in many policy domains. We asked academics, science advisers, and policymakers from both developed and developing nations to identify, review and refine, and then rank the most pressing research questions on legislative science advice (LSA). Experts generally agree that the state of evidence is poor, especially regarding developing and lower-middle income countries. Many fundamental questions about science advice processes remain unanswered and are of great interest: whether legislative use of scientific evidence improves the implementation and outcome of social programs and policies; under what conditions legislators and staff seek out scientific information or use what is presented to them; and how different communication channels affect informational trust and use. Environment and health are the highest priority policy domains for the field. The context-specific nature of many of the submitted questions—whether to policy issues, institutions, or locations—suggests one of the significant challenges is aggregating generalizable evidence on LSA practices. Understanding these research needs represents a first step in advancing a global agenda for LSA research.

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Introduction.

Both in presidential and parliamentary systems of government, legislatures can play substantial roles in setting national policy, albeit with different degrees of power and influence (Shugart, 2006 ). In performing their functions, legislative policymakers rely on receiving information from complex advisory systems: formal and informal networks of expertise both within the legislature and externally (Halligan, 1995 ). Many critical issues legislators face—such as cybersecurity, climate change, nuclear power, food security, health care, and digital privacy—involve science and technology. Legislators need help addressing the informational deluge as the amount of technical information relevant to policy decisions grows (Bornmann and Mutz, 2015 ), technological change accelerates (Kurzweil, 2004 ), and innovation is sought to spur economic growth (Broughel and Thierer, 2019 ). The emergence of the ability to conduct an Internet search on any science and technology policy issue—with varying standards of information review and quality—has made the role of vetted advice even more important today than in the past (Lewandowsky et al., 2017 ).

Different ways of integrating scientific and technical expertise into policymaking have emerged internationally, reflecting distinctive cultures and traditions of decision-making. These can be formal or informal, internal or external, permanent or ad hoc. They can operate in different branches and at different levels of government (Gual Soler et al., 2017 ). The academic study of policy advisory systems, in general, remains largely focused on Western democracies and based mainly on qualitative case studies (Craft and Wilder, 2017 ) that can be difficult to generalize or translate into practice across varying contexts. As Craft and Howlett ( 2013 ) observed, “Despite a growing body of case studies … little is known about many important facets of advisory system behavior” (p. 188). As a subfield, the study of scientific advice similarly suffers from these deficits (Desmarais and Hird, 2014 ), with less attention to legislatures than regulatory policymaking within the executive (Akerlof, 2018 ; Tyler, 2013 ).

In the 1748 Spirit of the Laws , Baron de Montesquieu described the tripartite system of governance composed of legislative, executive, and judiciary branches ( 2011 ). In this paper, we focus on the legislative, by which we mean that part of the governance system responsible for making laws, typically parliaments or congresses (McLean and McMillan, 2009 ). In addition to passing laws, legislatures debate the issues of the day and scrutinize the work of the executive. By executive, we mean the part of the governance system responsible for executing the laws passed by the legislature (Bradbury, 2009 ). They are typically made up of government departments and agencies.

To improve understanding of the scientific advisory systems for legislatures internationally, we asked academics, science advisers, and policymakers Footnote 1 across the globe to identify the most pressing research needs that will improve the practice of science advice to legislatures and strengthen its theoretical and empirical foundations, using a three-stage research approach. Respondents were asked to identify, review and refine, and then rank the research needs they found of greatest import. Similar expert consultation exercises designed to elicit the most important questions in ecology and science policy have been effective in informing government strategy (Sutherland et al. 2011 ). In this paper we report on the findings from that process, presenting a collaboratively developed international research agenda for an emerging subfield within science policy—legislative science advice (LSA)—that has been relatively neglected within the study of science advisory systems. We identify the research needs of most importance to the producers, providers, and users of scientific information; point to issue domains of highest priority; characterize the participating actors and dynamics of most note to the global community of researchers and practitioners; and suggest the range of disciplines needed to study these systems. In so doing, we hope to contribute to the growth of a well-theorized academic study of science advice to legislatures that is inclusive and supports the needs of practitioners to facilitate the generation and use of science advice globally.

The distinctive nature of legislative science advice

Legislatures differ from the executive branch in both function and form (Kenny, Washbourne, et al., 2017 ; Tyler, 2013 ). The ratio of staff to political appointees is high for executive agencies, with each served by hundreds, if not thousands, of civil servants. By contrast, in most legislatures each elected representative has access to the expertise of just a handful or so of staff. This leads to two main differences in these respective science advisory systems. First, the smaller number of staff means that legislatures typically hire generalists, not specialists, outsourcing more in-depth expertise as needed (Nentwich, 2016 , p. 15). Footnote 2 Most of the staff in agencies are career officials, not political hires, as in legislatures. Second, science advice to legislatures must serve a broader range of ideological viewpoints and interests than in the executive, tailored to meet the needs of elected officials of all political stripes. The term “legislative science advice” (LSA) is new, originating within the growing discourse of “government science advice” (Gluckman, 2016 ). LSA refers to the broad systems that provide scientific and technological information to legislatures, including—but not restricted to—legislative research services, committee support systems, technology assessment bodies, lobbyists, and advocacy coalitions.

How legislatures use scientific information

Use of research in policy can take many forms (Oh and Rich, 1996 ; Weiss, 1979 ; Whiteman, 1985 ), including some specific to legislatures. In technology assessment, these impacts have been described as increasing knowledge, promoting opinion formation, and initializing actions, e.g., influencing policy outcomes (Decker and Ladikas, 2004 , p. 61). In one of the foundational typologies of research use, Weiss ( 1979 ) contrasts the typical view that research is used to inform policy with political and tactical use, in which research serves as a form of rhetorical ammunition, or its implementation as an excuse to delay action or deflect criticism. Indeed, Whiteman ( 1985 ) found that the predominant use of research in U.S. congressional committees occurs after policymakers have chosen a stance on an issue, not before.

Within legislatures, scientific and technical information is employed for many purposes that fall within these categories (Kenny, Rose, et al., 2017 ; Kenny, Washbourne, et al., 2017 ). For example, it can be utilized to support scrutiny of the executive branch by parliamentary committees or commissions, who draw on evidence in their conclusions or recommendations. This was the case in a 2016 UK parliamentary inquiry into microplastics (Environmental Audit Committee, 2016a ), from which recommendations led to the government’s implementation of a ban on microbeads in cosmetics (Environmental Audit Committee, 2016b ). Science and technology may also inform decision-making (Hennen and Nierling, 2015b ) and inspire new activities. By French law, the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific Choices (OPECST) assesses the National Management Plan for Radioactive Materials and Waste every three years and makes recommendations for improving its function and anticipating future management concerns (OPECST, 2014 ). Throughout the legislative process, scientific and technical information may be harnessed by policymakers, issue coalitions, and others as new laws are drafted, old laws are revised, or bad proposed laws are avoided. Interest groups in Canada have used scientific evidence in attempting to sway parliamentary committee consideration of tobacco-control legislation (Hastie and Kothari, 2009 ). And experts have given testimony on the biology of embryonic development to inform parliamentary debate on the decriminalization of abortion in Argentina (Kornblihtt, 2018 ). A science-in-parliament event (“Ciencia en el Parlamento”) in 2018 in the Spanish Congress saw 75 parliamentarians draw on scientific evidence to engage in debate around 12 policy issues (Domínguez, 2018 ).

Legislative science advisory systems worldwide

In-house library and research services are one of the most common providers of scientific and technological information within legislatures, such as the Resources, Science and Industry Division of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in the United States or, the Science and Technology Research Office (STRO) within the Research and Legislative Reference Bureau (RLRB) in Japan (Hirose, 2014 ). Both CRS and the RLRB provide information and analysis through original reports, as well as confidential research services on request. Globally, various models exist for incorporating more in-depth science and technology assessment directly into legislatures’ internal advisory capacity (Nentwich, 2016 ). These include the parliamentary committee model, with a committee leading a dedicated unit; the parliamentary office model, with a dedicated office internal to the parliament; and the independent institute model, where the advisory function is performed by institutes operating outside parliament but with parliament as one of their main clients (Hennen and Nierling, 2015b ; Kenny, Washbourne, et al., 2017 ; Nentwich, 2016 ). An example of the first model, with a dedicated parliamentary committee, is France’s OPECST. An example of the second is the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST).

The third model—the independent institute—can be operationalized a variety of ways and may not work exclusively for the legislature, but also support the executive and engage with the public (Nentwich, 2016 ). A number of national academies provide LSA, such as the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) (INASP, 2016 ) and the Rathenau Institute, an independent part of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences in the Netherlands (KNAW). Not all external LSA mechanisms are based in academies, however. Certain independent bodies, sometimes established by the executive, provide the service, such as Mexico’s Office of Scientific and Technological Information (INCyTU), which is part of the Science and Technological Advisory Forum, a think tank of the Mexican government. Thus, there is a high degree of variation in the way LSA is institutionalized.

Science advice is also delivered to legislatures through channels other than dedicated units. It may be provided informally, such as by constituents, lobbyists, and advocacy organizations, or formally through parliamentary procedures such as inquiries and evidence hearings. Insights may also be shared by scientists and engineers placed in legislatures in programs such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science & Engineering Fellowship and the Swiss Foundation for Scientific Policy Fellowships. Other initiatives directly pair scientists with policymakers, such as the UK’s Royal Society Pairing Scheme and the European Parliament MEP-Scientist Pairing Scheme. In yearly “Science Meets Parliament(s)” events in Europe and Australia, researchers and parliamentarians participate in discussions on science and policy issues (European Commission, 2019 ; Science and Technology Australia, 2019 ).

Boundary organizations can further facilitate in bridging research and policy processes. Some non-governmental organizations in Africa such as the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) are attempting to address the need for stakeholders to translate primary research data to science and technology policies and practices (AFIDEP, 2019 ).

Need for an international research agenda

The many ways in which LSA manifests, across a wide array of sociopolitical and governance contexts, make it a highly rich area for study. Furthermore, the distinct differences between the nature of legislative and executive science advice substantiate the need for building a research foundation that specifically addresses this subfield of government science advice. In order to initiate and foster a nascent international research-practice community that will spark further empirical, theoretical, and applied advances, we engaged in an expert consultation exercise to identify a core set of research questions for the field. We are in effect asking as our research question what research questions other people in the field of LSA think are most worthy to pursue. Similar exercises have been among the most downloaded in their journals and informed government science strategies (Sutherland et al., 2011 ). The process we undertook to do so—and the results—are as follows.

The study consisted of five stages. In Step 1, an online survey was first used to collect research questions from academics, science advisers, and policymakers worldwide. In Step 2, during a workshop at the International Network for Government Science Advice Conference on November 8, 2018, in Tokyo, Japan, participants scrutinized the set of research questions. In Step 3, the original submitted research questions were coded, and vetted for duplication and needed edits. Each of the subsequent 100 questions were coded into a unique category. In Step 4, the research team identified the most representative questions from each category based on their assessments and workshop participant feedback, reducing the set of research needs to be ranked to 50. Finally, in Step 5, a subset of the original survey participants ranked the research findings they would be most interested in learning. Because we could not include all study participants in the process of thematically categorizing the list, as has been done with smaller groups (Sutherland et al., 2012 ), we chose to do so with coders after achieving inter-rater reliability. We defined science in the survey as “research produced by any individual or organization in a rigorous, systematic way, which has made use of peer review. Research on technology may also fall within this broad definition.” Government was defined as “any governing body of a community, state, or nation.”

Research question collection and coding

We identified experts in science and technology advice, and particularly LSA, in three ways: (1) through an academic literature review and lists of organizational membership; (2) through a referral by another participant in the study (snowball sampling); and (3) from requests to join the study after seeing information advertised by science advice-related organizations. We recruited representatives and members of the following groups: the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA); European Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA) member and associate nations; a European project on parliaments and civil society in technology assessment (PACITA); the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation under the Auspices of UNESCO (ISTIC); the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) Community of Practitioners-Evidence for Policy; Results for All (a global organization addressing evidence-based policy); and the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s science diplomacy network. The research protocol for the study was approved by Decision Research’s Institutional Review Board [FWA #00010288, 277 Science Advice].

Expert participants

From September to November 2018, 183 respondents in 50 nations (Table 1 ) submitted 254 questions. Participants who were willing to be publicly thanked for their effort are listed in the supplementary materials (SI Table 1); a subset of them are also authors on this study. Approximately half of the respondents to our request for research questions were from nations categorized by the United Nations as developing ( n  = 91) and half from those considered developed ( n   =  92) (United Nations Statistics Division, 2019 ). While all had expertise in science and technology advice for policy, almost three-quarters (74%) said they also had specific experience with legislatures.

The roles of these experts in the science and technology advisory system differed greatly: producers of scientific information, providers, users, and those in related or combined positions (Table 2 ). (Please note, in Table 2 , as in all tables within this text, percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding error.) In open-ended comments, respondents clarified that they interpreted “research on governmental science advice” as both studying LSA processes and conducting research relevant to government questions. The one-fifth of respondents who listed “other” said that their roles were a combination of these categories or described them in other ways.

Survey measures used in collecting research questions

At the start of the online survey, we told respondents that we were interested in research questions that addressed the entire breadth of the legislative science and technology advisory system. We described the system as: (1) the processes and factors that affect people who produce and deliver scientific and technical information; (2) the processes and factors that affect people who use scientific and technical information; (3) the nature of the information itself; and (4) communication between users and producers, or through intermediaries. Because we assumed that participants outside of academia might not be practiced in writing research questions, we asked a series of open-ended questions building to the formal question submission: What is it that we don’t know about the use of scientific information in legislatures that inspires your research question?; What is the outcome you are interested in?; Which processes or factors are potentially related to the outcome?; Who—or what—will be studied?; What is the context?; Please tell us how you would formally state your research question . We also asked a series of follow-up questions to assess which academic disciplines and theories might be most applicable to each submitted research question, and whether some policy issue areas were more important to study than others (see measures, SI Table 2).

Coding the research questions

Coding categories for the questions were established based on frequency of occurrence (coding rules and reliability statistics, supplementary materials, SI Table 3). Inter-rater reliability for each category was ascertained with 2–3 coders. We coded LSA actors that were mentioned (policymakers, scientists, brokers, institutions, the public) in addition to advisory system dynamics (evidence use, evidence development, communication, ethics, system design). Coding was conducted first for any mention of the variable in the original “raw” research question submissions, in which multiple codes could be assigned to the text constituting the series of six questions building to, and including, the research question submission. After editing for clarity and condensing any duplicative questions, we then determined the primary category of each research question for the purposes of the final list. Reliabilities of α   >  0.8 suggest consistent interpretability across studies (Krippendorff, 2004 ). Nineteen of the 24 variable codes—both the original submissions and final edited research questions—achieved inter-rater reliability at this level. Another four were at the level of 0.7, suitable for tentative conclusions, and one at 0.6 (coded with perfect reliability in the final edited questions). This last variable was particularly difficult to code because evidence development can occur throughout the advisory system—whether by scientists in universities, scientific reviews by intermediary institutions, or within legislatures as research staff compile information to support, or discount, policy options.

Cluster analysis can be used to identify groups of highly similar data (Aldenderfer and Blashfield, 1984 ). In order to characterize the multiple combinations of coded variables that were most frequently presented in the research questions, we conducted a two-step cluster analysis, which can accommodate dichotomous variables, using statistical software SPSSv25 on both system actors and dynamics.

At the International Network for Government Science Advice Conference in November 2018, a workshop on LSA was conducted by members of the author team (KA, CT, EH, MGS, AA). After presentations on research and practice in LSA, participants worked in small groups on subsets of the research questions to vet them: combining similar questions, adding to them, and highlighting those of greatest priority. Thirty-six people from 17 nations participated in the exercise, including six participants from developing countries. Workshop participants self-selected into seven tables of three to eight people. Questions were flagged as important and edited during this stage, and some were added, but none were dropped.

Ranking of research statements

Based on their expertise—role in LSA and geographic representation—90 participants in the original survey were asked after the workshop to rank what information they would be most interested in learning. Sixty-four individuals from 31 countries responded. All but one had experience specifically with legislatures. Thirty-three were from—or in one case studied—developing nations (52%), and 31 were from developed countries (48%). The percentages closely resemble those of the research question (50%) and collection (50%) respondents.

Because many of the experts identified with multiple roles in the science advisory process, we asked them to characterize these combinations (Table 3 ). Most said that their roles are distinct, whether as producers of scientific information (21%), providers (33%), or users (8%), but more than a third said that their work crossed these boundaries (38%). One participant said that their role was neither as user, provider, nor producer, but to facilitate connections between all three groups. This example demonstrates that while knowledge brokering can include knowledge dissemination (Lemos et al., 2014 ; Lomas, 2007 ), it may also focus primarily on network growth and capacity building (Cvitanovic et al., 2017 ).

The ranking was conducted using Q methodology, a technique used to identify groups of people with similar viewpoints and perspectives (Stephenson, 1965 ; Watts and Stenner, 2012 ) (additional findings are presented in a separate publication). Respondents ordered the statements in a frequency reflecting a normal curve, placing a prescripted number in each of nine labeled categories. “Extremely interested in learning” ranked high (9) and “extremely uninterested” ranked low (1). As sometimes occurs with this methodology, respondents told us in their comments that while they placed the questions in order of interest, the category labels did not always match their sentiment as they thought that most of the questions were of some interest. Thus, we put more weight on the ranking itself. We also posed a series of related questions to respondents. They were asked at the start of the survey: How would you describe the current state of evidence on the design and operation of legislative science advice systems? [Poor, adequate, good, very good] . At the conclusion of the ranking exercise, we asked follow-up questions for the top four research findings that the respondent would be most interested to learn. We evaluated their perceptions of the feasibility of generating this information, its generalizability, and its likelihood of contributing to the study and practice of LSA (see measures, SI Table 4).

According to most experts (68%; n  = 63) who ranked the questions, the state of the evidence on LSA is poor. Another 20% characterized the state of the field as “adequate” and 12% as good. In subsequent written comments, prompted after the closed-ended survey questions, many respondents qualified their responses by saying that the quality of information varied enormously across countries, and sectors of science and technology, with less evidence available that is applicable to developing or lower-middle income nations.

Contextualizing legislative science advice: policy issues and institutions

Legislatures worldwide are diverse, as are the many issues they face. More than a quarter (26%) of the submitted research questions mentioned one or more specific policy areas, such as climate change or agriculture, and 54% either a particular place or institution, like Zimbabwe or the U.S. Congress (coded data). When asked directly, slightly more than half of the experts (51%) said yes, that some policy issue areas are more important to focus on than others (34%, no; 15%, do not know) (see question wording, SI Table 2). Of those that said some policy areas should be a priority for the field ( n  = 86), a majority selected environment (78%), health (64%), and natural resources Footnote 3 (56%) as the preferred focus among the many options (Fig. 1 ). Footnote 4 Half pointed to education (50%) and technology (50%). Respondents also volunteered in a follow-up to the closed-ended question that other social issues should be a priority, such as welfare, migration, urbanization, demographic change, population growth, and sustainability (e.g., the UN Sustainable Development Goals).

Those who reported that some policy issues for LSA were more important to study than others were asked the following closed-ended question: “Which policy issue areas are the most important to focus on in developing the field of legislative science advice?” Multiple responses were possible. ( n  = 85)

Relevant academic disciplines and theoretical constructs to LSA research questions

Studying LSA is a transdisciplinary pursuit. For only 20% of the 254 originally submitted research questions did respondents say that one academic disciplinary field alone was adequate to provide an answer; most (60%) named two to four fields. Of the fields provided in the response options, political science and public policy were the most frequently chosen as germane (65% and 64%, respectively), followed by science and technology studies (52%), communication (46%), sociology (35%), psychology (25%), and anthropology (15%). Other fields and areas of expertise volunteered by the respondents included: economics, cognitive and decision sciences, computer science, design, ethics, evaluation, gender studies, history, information technology, international development, law, philosophy, statistics, and domains such as public health, agriculture, and education.

Approximately one-third of the respondents suggested theories or theoretical constructs related to their research questions (SI Table 5). While some concepts have been traditionally associated with the development and use of science for policy, such as mode 2 production of knowledge (Gibbons et al., 1994 ) and post-normal science (Funtowicz and Ravetz, 1993 ), others reflect less common approaches, for example from business and management (human resources theory) and development (failed states theory).

Fifty research questions on legislative science advice

Based on the 254 questions submitted during the initial online survey collection, workshop vetting process, and research team input, we created two final sets of research questions on LSA: a condensed set of 50 presented here and a full set of 100 included in the supplementary materials (SI Table 6). All are grouped under the headings of their primary categories, followed by italicized text with the full code description. The condensed set of 50 questions denotes the most representative questions from each of the categories; half from each were selected. They were chosen based on workshop recommendations and author assessments. The categories reflect diverse themes: evidence use and development; characteristics and/or capacity of system actors; system design and implementation; and ethics. After presenting the list of 50 research questions below, we then discuss (1) the characteristics of the questions that were submitted and what they may signify about the priorities of the community, and (2) how a subset of our respondents ( n  = 64) ranked 50 statements from these questions as to what they would be most interested to learn.

Information/evidence use

(Influence, use, or uptake of scientific information/science advice in policy—its impact or barriers—including measurement and evaluation)

What types of scientific information are used in legislatures?

How do the formal and informal practices of legislatures influence the consideration and use of scientific information?

What are the ways in which scientific information is “used” in legislatures?

What metrics can be used to assess the use of scientific information across different legislative contexts?

What incentives motivate or compel legislatures to use scientific information?

Under which conditions does use of scientific information change the framing of policy debates in legislatures?

Does legislative use of evidence improve the implementation and outcome of social programs and policies?

Evidence development

(The creation of scientific information for the purposes of evidence)

How can the scientific topics most relevant to the public and policymakers be determined to inform research?

How is social relevance weighed in the production of academic research?

How do policymakers and researchers work together in defining problems and processes for generating evidence?

Policymakers

(Policymakers, legislators, decision-makers)

What value do legislators and staff place on scientific evidence, as opposed to other types?

How do legislator and staff preferences for scientific evidence compare between countries?

How do legislators and their staff assess the credibility of scientific information?

What are the characteristics of the producers of scientific information most preferred by legislators and their staff? (e.g., are they partisan, make policy recommendations?)

How do the Internet and social media affect the information-seeking behavior of legislators and staff?

Under what conditions do legislators and staff seek out scientific information or use what is presented to them?

What are the factors that legislators weigh in deciding whether to accept or reject a scientific recommendation?

Can training for legislators and/or staff increase their use of scientific information, especially in lower-middle income countries (LMICs)?

(Scientists, scientific advisers, scientific researchers)

What information, skills, and training are needed for scientists to work with legislators and their staff?

What individual and institutional factors motivate scientists to share their research with legislators and their staff?

How do scientists and issue advocates try to manage the quality of scientific information and expertise used in legislatures?

Which behaviors of scientists and other advisers increase the likelihood of evidence use?

(Intermediaries, brokers)

What role do intermediaries and research brokers play in getting scientific information before legislators and their staff? (e.g., helping shape research questions, communicate research, and/or serve as an engagement facilitator)

What forms of evaluation can be used to measure the effect of “brokering” scientific information?

Institutions

(Organizations, legislatures, governments, committees)

How can the institutions that deliver legislative science advice be characterized? Footnote 5

How do culture, and political and economic context, affect the development of legislative science advice institutions? (e.g., new and emerging democracies, more authoritarian systems, levels of economic development)

How do different institutional approaches to legislative science advice influence its nature, quality and relevance?

What institutional approaches for legislative science advice are instructive for other countries?

How do legislative research departments synthesize and translate scientific information for legislators?

How can we measure the impact of legislative science advisory bodies on legislative processes using indicators?

How does the staffing, budgetary, and political capacity of committees affect their ability to use scientific information in legislatures?

How do internal and external organizations assess and meet the needs of legislatures for in-depth analysis?

(Citizens, public)

How does public participation affect legislative processes in which scientific information may be considered, including potential reductions in corruption?

How can the impact of current citizen initiatives in legislative science advice be measured?

What is the extent to which the public is aware of, and places value in, the scientific information being used in legislatures?

Communication

(Communication of science through engagement, access to information, effective information/knowledge transfer, relationships)

What is the frequency of communication between legislative staff and scientists from inside and outside government?

How does political polarization affect information flows to legislators and their staff?

Does iterative engagement between researchers, legislators, and staff improve evidence use?

How do different communication channels—hearings, face-to-face meetings, email, social media, etc.— affect informational trust and use?

How can risk and uncertainty be communicated comprehensibly to legislators and staff?

Which communication tools facilitate working with legislative decision-makers on scientific topics?

How is scientific information embedded in policy debate rhetoric?

System design

(Structure, design, and implementation of LSA systems/processes/models both in developed and developing nations)

How do the requirements and needs of a science advice system for policymaking differ across countries?

How can the design of new structures, processes, and systems increase legislative capacity for science use?

What lessons can be learned about how to manage scientific advice to legislatures from a systems approach?

How do racial and gender biases affect researchers’ and practitioners’ activities and influence policy advisory systems?

In societies without established science advice systems, how is scientific information used—if at all—by legislatures?

What are examples of improvements to legislative science advisory systems in heavily resource-constrained countries?

(Ethics of use of science in policy; appropriate role of scientists/scientific information providers in policy)

What ethical principles for providing legislative science advice can be derived?

How can values be made transparent in providing science advice?

Focal areas within the advisory system

Most research questions referenced multiple aspects of the advisory system: the people, organizations, and institutions that constitute it and the dynamics that support its functionality (e.g., evidence use and creation, communication, system design, ethics). To capture the interrelated nature of these system components in the research questions that were submitted to us, we conducted two cluster analyses on subsets of the variables: (1) policymakers, scientists, brokers, the public, and institutions; and (2) evidence use, evidence development, communication, ethics, and system design. We used automatic cluster selection based on the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) (Norusis, 2011 ). We ran the analyses with both Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and BIC, selecting the BIC criterion based on the equivalent or smaller number and reasonable interpretation of its proposed clusters. The cluster analysis of the actors in the advisory system produced 9 categories and the analysis of system dynamics generated 5 (SI Fig. 1 and 2). We then crossed the variable sets to demonstrate the relative frequency in which the coded variables appear within clusters (Fig. 2 and 3 ).

The frequencies of actors represented in the 254 submitted research questions demonstrate relative interest by experts in the roles of these groups within advisory systems. The partitioning of the bar graphs shows the frequency with which these actors are mentioned in combination with various system dynamics in the research questions (COMM communication, E-USE evidence use, E-DEV evidence development; DESIGN system design; ETHICS ethics)

The frequencies of advisory system dynamics represented in the 254 submitted research questions highlight varying attention to these processes. The bar graph subdivisions show how often these dynamics co-occur in the research questions with groups of system actors (POL policymakers, SCI scientists, BRKR brokers, INST institutions, PUB the public)

In order to assess the “goodness” of a cluster analysis solution we compared the degree of similarity within clusters to the dissimilarity between clusters (Norusis, 2011 ). The silhouette coefficient is one such measure (Rousseeuw, 1987 ). It ranges from −1 to +1. The upper end of this range (+1) reflects highly differentiated clusters with great similarity between same-cluster values. Both silhouette measures reflect good fit (9 clusters, average silhouette = 0.8; 5 clusters, average silhouette = 0.6).

Coincidence of legislative science advice actors and dynamics within research questions

The ways that experts combined people, organizations, and problems in their research questions sheds light on their conceptualization of the parts of the advisory system that are most deserving of research and the perceived relationships among them. The cluster analysis on system actors revealed 9 ways in which these were combined within the 254 submitted research questions. The largest cluster of research questions (Cluster 1; 20%) included mention of all three of the following actors: policymakers, scientists, and institutions (SI Fig. 1). While both policymakers and institutions are referenced alone in individual questions (Clusters 6 and 8), scientists, brokers, and the public are always referenced in combination with other actors.

The cluster analysis on system dynamics revealed 5 ways in which these were combined within the 254 submitted research questions. The largest clusters of research questions featured communication largely by itself (Cluster 2; 23%) or with evidence use (Cluster 1; 22%) (SI Fig. 2). Evidence development appears only in combination with evidence use, communication, and system design. Similarly, system design is mentioned only in combination with evidence use and communication.

Frequency of actors and system dynamics

We then evaluated the frequency of the system dynamics and actors codes within the submitted research questions overall, and their co-occurrence with clusters of the opposing set (e.g., Fig. 2 , actor frequencies and system dynamic clusters; Fig. 3 , system dynamics frequencies and actor clusters). The frequencies tell us which codes appear most commonly across all of the research questions. Their distribution across the clusters of dynamics and actors indicate how these sets of variables interrelate. The research questions about system actors referenced policymakers (70%), institutions (62%), and scientists (53%) the most frequently (Fig. 2 ). All three most commonly co-occurred with the cluster representing evidence use, communication, and ethics (20%, 16%, 15%, respectively). The public (12%) and knowledge brokers (6%) occurred less frequently as actors in questions about legislative science advice, and they appeared in co-occurrence with all clusters of system dynamics at a low rate (1–3% of coded statements).

In regard to system dynamics, respondents asked predominantly about evidence use (63%) and communication (53%) (Fig. 3 ). Evidence use and communication both occur most frequently within questions that also include reference to the cluster with the broadest constellation of actors: policymakers, scientists, brokers, institutions, and the public (17%, 16%, respectively). Evidence development (15%), system design (23%), and ethics (3%) were less popular topics. They co-occur at low rates (0–4% of coded statements) with clusters of system actors. As an aside, within the “system design” code, we also identified research questions that referenced the need for best practices and models within developing or lower-middle income countries. Roughly one-quarter of the originally submitted questions that were coded as “system design” demonstrated the need to address these regions of the world (6% frequency within 254 submitted questions).

Expert ranking of the types of research information of most interest

We asked a subset of the experts who contributed research questions to rank their research needs, e.g., what was of most interest to them that could potentially be learned about LSA ( n  = 64 participants). The top 10 areas of information these experts would most like to know from the short list of 50 research questions addressed four of the five system dynamics: evidence use, communication, system design, and evidence development (Table 4 ). The remaining dynamic, ethics, was ranked toward the bottom: 42nd and 45th among the 50 questions (see the full list of rankings, SI Table 7). While information only on policymakers and intermediaries made the top 10 areas of potential research information experts were interested in learning, all five types of system actors—policymakers, scientists, brokers, institutions/organizations, and the public—appear in the top 20 ranked statements. The top 10 research areas were all very highly ranked, but the experts were most interested in learning: (1) whether legislative use of scientific evidence improves the implementation and outcome of social programs and policies; (2) under what conditions legislators and staff seek out scientific information or use what is presented to them; and (3) how different communication channels—hearings, face-to-face meetings, email, social media, etc.—affect informational trust and use. All of the top 10 LSA potential research areas were considered by the respondents who highly ranked them as at least slightly, if not moderately, feasible and likely to result in generalizable findings that would both contribute to LSA’s practice and study (SI Fig. 3).

Supporting the capacity of legislatures worldwide to access and use scientific and technical information in their decision-making processes may be critical to their ability to govern through periods of massive social, technological, and environmental change. Underlying the more detailed results from this study are two broad findings. First, experts generally agree that the state of understanding of LSA is insufficient, especially for developing and lower-middle income nations. More than two-thirds of our second sample of legislative science experts (68%; n   =  63) rated the state of the evidence as poor. Second, many fundamental questions about the function and design of legislative science advisory systems remain unanswered. Core questions about advisory system processes, such as how legislators and their staff assess the credibility of scientific information, were among the most highly prioritized by experts. Indeed, the relationship between bias and source credibility remains a theoretically murky area of social science, especially in application to highly political contexts such as legislatures (Akerlof et al., 2018 ). At the bottom of the expert’s priority list were questions about ethics, such as how values can be made transparent in providing science advice and what ethical principles for providing legislative science advice can be derived. The research questions most frequently addressed policymakers (70%), evidence use (63%), institutions (62%), communication (53%), and scientists (53%). Policymakers and institutions were also most often mentioned as the sole actors in research questions, and communication the sole dynamic. This reveals that study participants—only a minority of whom are decision-makers within government—were more focused in their research interests on the institutional/policymaker side of the system, rather than on scientists and information-generation, or on the information brokers who span between them. Yet, a wealth of literature on science usability and co-production of scientific knowledge highlights the importance of actors, interactions, and dynamics across the entire system (Lemos et al., 2012 ). The highly specific nature of many of the research questions—more than a quarter of the submitted research questions mentioned one or more specific policy areas (26%), and more than a half (54%) either a particular place or institution—alludes to one of the significant challenges in aggregating generalizable evidence on LSA practices. The inherently contextual nature of science and technical advice—set within specific policy problems, cultures, and national institutions—is potentially a very difficult issue for the successful maturation of the field. Environment and health are the most frequently mentioned domains to prioritize in LSA research. These are focal points of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, among the top priorities of publics such as in the United States (Jones, 2019) and Europe (European Commission, 2018 ), and are areas often regulated by government.

This study also captures the global LSA community’s desire for transdisciplinary research conducted in partnership with domain experts. Most of the survey participants (60%) selected two to four fields as important for answering their research question. Political science (65%) and public policy (64%) were at the top of the list, but participants also selected fields such as science and technology studies (52%), communication (46%), sociology (35%), psychology (25%), and anthropology (15%). However, it may be worthwhile to note that the transdisciplinarity of the field and diversity of issue domains have posed historical difficulties in defining common terms, such as “evidence,” “policy,” “policymakers,” and “use” (Cairney, 2016 ; National Research Council, 2012 ). This is a challenge that new research in the field will need to address.

Due to the heavily contextual nature of the roles that research can play in policy, measuring its impact has been historically difficult (Decker and Ladikas, 2004 ; National Research Council, 2012 ). A number of the research questions address measurement, evaluation, and metrics, including: what metrics can be used to assess the use of scientific information across different legislative contexts?; and how can we measure the impact of legislative science advisory bodies on legislative processes using indicators? Focusing on the specific roles of research (Decker and Ladikas, 2004 ), such as policy argumentation (Decker and Ladikas, 2004 ; National Research Council, 2012 ), is one strategy to address the challenge, as is mobilizing increasingly available digital data (van Hilten, 2018 ) and employing theories and methods from individual-level to system-level scales.

While some authors have suggested that the process of scientific knowledge exchange itself may be so context specific as to be unlikely to produce results with broad theoretical or applied relevance (Contandriopoulos et al., 2010 ), we are encouraged by emerging efforts to address these challenges at multiple scales. For example, a scientific review conducted by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) summarized research on the use of evidence in political decision-making from fields that study individual-level factors, such as psychology and neuroscience, and those that focus on higher-level units of analysis, like public policy, administration, and sociology (Mair et al., 2019 ).

In Western developed nations, much of the discussion on provision of science and technology advice to legislatures has focused on assessing and improving institutional structures for technology assessment (Guston et al., 1997 ; Hennen and Nierling, 2015a ; Vig and Paschen, 2000 ). The interest demonstrated in the research questions for thinking about the design and implementation of advisory systems shows the need for a broader discourse that recognizes that many countries have no such institutions and that LSA necessarily includes a much wider array of formal and informal processes. Almost a quarter of the research questions asked about the design of systems (23%), such as how can the design of new structures, processes, and systems increase legislative capacity for science use? Of these, a quarter asked specifically about developing nations or LMICs (6% of all questions).

Study limitations

While our reach to experts was relatively broad globally and our efforts are comparable to many other initiatives of this type (Sutherland et al., 2011 ), this study’s limits include: (1) our inability to definitively define a global expert community for LSA; (2) potential language and cultural barriers; (3) incomplete coverage of all regions, such as Southeast Asia; (4) likelihood of response bias during all three stages of the study; and (5) the influence of the instrument—an online survey as opposed to interviews—on the nature of the data collected. As we have noted, there are many types of expert roles within these advisory systems. The networks that connect them are not always well-established, making it difficult to characterize and map the full population. The online surveys and workshop were conducted in English (though a few individuals submitted survey responses that were translated). While we anticipated that most experts would have working knowledge of English because of their professional positions, undoubtedly, we lost potential respondents in doing so. Further, those most interested in participating in the series of studies may be biased in ways that we cannot effectively parameterize.

Finally, we provided a definition of the LSA system to respondents at the start of the survey to provide them with a scope for their questions: addressing not just policymakers, but scientists, scientific information, and interactions between groups. This introduction may have primed respondents to think about questions that they might not have otherwise.

By collaborating with a nascent research-practice community for LSA in defining an international research agenda, we hope this project helps spur new initiatives globally on science and technology advice to inform legislatures. The linguistic and conceptual challenges encountered during the study, discussed in the previous section, highlight the need to develop a community of practitioners and scholars sharing a common set of concepts and the ability to relate those to their local context. We believe that both the product of our study and the collaborative process that led to it, are an important step in this direction. The results of the study create tangible objectives for this emergent field. Laying a cohesive groundwork for future goals in the legislative science advice (LSA) space may aid in opening new global channels of communication between scientists, legislatures, and the public that were previously unattainable. A shared set of research priorities can lay the groundwork for future collaborative research addressing the specifics of individual national systems within a common frame of reference, enabling mutual learning, and development and sharing of good practices. This could also provide the empirical basis for theoretical generalizations about the nature of scientific expertise and knowledge in legislative settings.

Data availability

The datasets generated for this study are available through OSF under the project files for “A collaboratively-derived international research agenda on legislative science advice,” located at osf.io/qu8t7.

By policymakers, we mean those in government who use science to make policy decisions, whether members of staff or elected representatives.

Sanni et al., ( 2016 ) call for the improvement of staff capacity in service to Nigerian lawmakers because of perceived deficits in expertise. In the United States, the question of whether serving as legislative staff counts as a “profession” with specific required expertise has been broadly called into question (Romzek and Utter, 1997 ). The average age of staff members is 31 (House) and 32 (Senate) (Legistorm, 2019 ), compared to almost 48 years for the federal civil service generally (OPM, 2017 ). House and Senate personal office and committee staff stay in their positions on average between 1.1 and 3.9 years, with longer durations for more senior positions (Petersen and Eckman, 2016a , 2016b , 2016c , 2016d ), compared to an average of 14 years for the federal service (OPM, 2017 ).

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Respondents could select more than one topic area.

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Akerlof, K., Tyler, C., Foxen, S.E. et al. A collaboratively derived international research agenda on legislative science advice. Palgrave Commun 5 , 108 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0318-6

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A close relationship exists between GIS and numerous applications, including cartography, photogrammetry, geodesy, surveying, computer and information science, and statistics, among others. Scientists coined the term "geographic information science (GIScience)" to describe the theory behind these fields. A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science extensively details the issues and fundamental scientific problems that must be solved if the use of GIS in these and other fields is to advance. Immediately following the founding of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), the group identified in a Research Agenda the topics that represented major challenges to the GIS research community. The first chapter of this book delivers an introduction to the agenda and to the collective guidance that the agenda provides to researchers. Chapters 2-10 discuss nine original research challenges. Chapters 11-14 provide the basis of the agenda's four "Emerging Themes." Each chapter, written by researchers involved in the conception of the topics, discusses basic research elements, the UCGIS approach, the need for the National research agenda, contributions to knowledge and society, and offers a complete set of references. The final section draws general conclusions about the UCGIS approach and the defined research challenges.

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VIEW LARGER COVER

A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science at the United States Geological Survey

Comprehensive and authoritative baseline geospatial data content is crucial to the nation and to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS founded its Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) in 2006 to develop and distribute national geospatial data assets in a fast-moving information technology environment. In order to fulfill this mission, the USGS asked the National Research Council to assess current GIScience capabilities at the USGS, identify current and future needs for GIScience capabilities, recommend strategies for strengthening these capabilities and for collaborating with others to maximize research productivity, and make recommendations regarding the most effective research areas for CEGIS to pursue. With an initial focus on improving the capabilities of The National Map, the report recommends three priority research areas for CEGIS: information access and dissemination, data integration, and data models, and further identifies research topics within these areas that CEGIS should pursue. To address these research topics, CEGIS needs a sustainable research management process that involves a portfolio of collaborative research that balances short and long term goals.

• Earth Sciences — Geography and Mapping
• Earth Sciences — Policy, Reviews and Evaluations

Suggested Citation

National Research Council. 2007. A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science at the United States Geological Survey . Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12004. Import this citation to: Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager

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Putting science to work for the health of women

Driving Change in Women’s Health: Innovations in Funding, Research, and Policy

By dr. janine a. clayton, transforming women’s behavioral health services.

In a significant move to bolster women’s behavioral health services, the Biden administration has announced a series of funding opportunities totaling $27.5 million. This announcement underscores a steadfast commitment to addressing the distinct mental health and substance use treatment needs of women across the United States. The funds, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, include $15 million for the Community-Based Maternal Behavioral Health Services Program , which aims to improve access and ensure smooth care transitions of culturally relevant, evidence-based treatment for pregnant and postpartum women. Additionally, $12.5 million will support the Women’s Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Center , designed to enhance health care providers’ ability to address women’s behavioral health needs through training and technical assistance.

These efforts are particularly critical in light of recent research highlighting mental health disparities among racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) women in the U.S. A scoping review on mental health during the menopause transition revealed that REM women experience a higher burden of depressive symptoms, influenced by a range of social, structural, and biological factors. The review also emphasized the need for culturally relevant care and enhanced provider training to effectively address these disparities. The Biden administration’s funding directly targets these needs, ensuring that REM women have access to comprehensive and tailored mental health care.

The funding investments are aligned with the goals of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research , which has committed to prioritizing investments in women’s health research, integrating women’s health across the federal research portfolio, and galvanizing new research on midlife health of women. These funding announcements signify more than just financial support; they represent a pivotal shift in how women’s health is prioritized on the national agenda and lay the groundwork for sustained improvements in women’s health care infrastructure. Allocating resources to targeted programs ensures that women receive the care and support necessary to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.    

NIH Women’s Health Roundtable: Endometriosis  

On August 19, 2024, the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), in collaboration with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), co-hosted the second NIH Women’s Health Research Roundtable on endometriosis, titled “ Beyond the Lesion: Charting New Paths .” This Roundtable Series was developed in response to a   Presidential Memorandum  aimed at highlighting priority topics within HHS and disseminating information on federally supported research areas.

This significant event centered on endometriosis, a chronic and often misunderstood condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and often results in severe pain, heavy menstrual periods, and infertility, yet remains underdiagnosed and inadequately treated. The roundtable brought together experts, advocates, and individuals affected by the condition to explore the latest research, address challenges, and discuss future directions for research on this debilitating disease.

The event featured distinguished speakers, starting with opening remarks by NICHD Director Diana W. Bianchi, M.D. Attendees then engaged in a series of insightful presentations covering diverse aspects of endometriosis, from patient experiences and holistic health approaches to cutting-edge research. This roundtable underscored our commitment to advancing knowledge, improving care, and fostering collaboration to enhance understanding and treatment of endometriosis, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for the women affected.  

In Focus 7.2: Women and Mental Health Across the Lifespan

I am thrilled to share with you the latest advancements and initiatives showcased in our most recent issue of Women’s Health In Focus at NIH . A key feature of this issue is the groundbreaking work conducted by Jill Goldstein, Ph.D., M.P.H., at the Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (ICON-✘) . Dr. Goldstein is a Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences investigator and is leading the charge in examining how sex differences impact brain function, psychiatric disorders, and related comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease. Her team is pioneering the development of sex-specific tools and therapies, a crucial advancement with the potential to lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for women. This shift is consistent with increased awareness of the importance of women’s mental health research. ORWH is supporting Dr. Goldstein in her collaboration with Stuart Tobet, Ph.D., and other experts to create an innovative biomedical pipeline curriculum centered on sex differences, known as the Translational Workforce Innovation Network (TWIN) .

This issue also highlights the impressive achievements of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Women in Medicine and Science (CWIMS) . Since its inception in 2018, CWIMS has been instrumental in promoting gender equity within its medical school. CWIMS’ innovative approaches include conducting salary equity studies, developing a metrics dashboard for tracking progress, and implementing programs such as the Distinguished Visiting Scholar mechanism and the Early Pathways to Success Program. Recently, CWIMS hosted a Mid-Career Summit, addressing this crucial stage of faculty development. These initiatives have led to increased representation and advancement of women and underrepresented minorities in academic medicine. Be sure to check out the full publication to stay informed and inspired by the groundbreaking work and initiatives in women’s health research.  

Advancing Autoimmune Disease Research

I am excited to share with you the significant strides we are making in the field of autoimmune disease research through the Office of Autoimmune Disease Research (OADR-ORWH) . OADR-ORWH is dedicated to promoting research that elucidates sex differences in autoimmune conditions, ultimately leading to more effective and personalized treatments for both women and men. Our goal is to foster research to address critical gaps in understanding of how sex differences influence the onset, progression, and treatment of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect women, accounting for nearly 80% of all cases. This disparity underscores the urgent need for research that considers sex as a fundamental variable in understanding these complex diseases.  

A key event highlighting our commitment to this mission was the recent ScienceTALKS event titled “ Going Viral: Exploring Viral Triggers of Autoimmune Diseases .” This event brought together leading experts to delve into the intricate relationship between viral infections and the onset of autoimmune diseases. Presentations explored how viruses can trigger autoimmune responses, which is crucial for developing preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Additionally, OADR-ORWH announced the publication of a new article titled “ Coordination and Collaboration to Support Exposome Research in Autoimmune Diseases ” in Arthritis Care & Research . I am honored to have collaborated on this article with OADR-ORWH Director Victoria Shanmugam, MBBS, MRCP, FACR, CCD, and ORWH Associate Director of Clinical Research Sarah Temkin, M.D., alongside partners in the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The exposome is a concept that measures all exposures (internal and external) of an individual in their lifetime and how those exposures relate to health. The publication examines the critical role of the exposome in shaping current and future autoimmune disease research at NIH, the impact of environmental exposures on autoimmune diseases, and NIH’s ongoing efforts to interpret these complex interactions.  

The insights shared through these events and publications will shape the future of autoimmune disease research. I extend my gratitude to all speakers, participants, and organizers for their invaluable contributions. For those who missed it, visit our event page for the recording and materials. Together, we can continue to advance research that makes a difference.  

Women’s Equality Day

As we reflect on August, a month rich with significant milestones in women’s health and equity, we are reminded of the strides made and the work ahead. Women’s Equality Day, celebrated on August 26, underscores our ongoing commitment to gender equality, commemorating the anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment. This day serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing pursuit of gender equality and the importance of ensuring women’s voices are heard in all aspects of society, including health research and policy.

Historically, reliance on male models in research has created significant knowledge gaps, and we have been working diligently to address these disparities. Data reveal that while women are more likely to donate organs, they are less likely to receive them for transplantation and are less frequently given CPR compared to men. At ORWH, we emphasize that women’s health equity and inclusion are not just goals but central to achieving healthy communities and a just society. Through rigorous research, we strive to support the generation and application of evidence to ensure that all women can attain their highest level of health.

A cornerstone of our efforts is the   Health of Women of Understudied, Underrepresented, and Underreported populations (U3) Populations Data Book . This comprehensive resource provides critical data and insights into the health disparities faced by these populations. By highlighting these disparities, the Data Book underscores our commitment to addressing the specific health needs of diverse groups of women, including those in rural locations and other underserved communities.

Our website offers a variety of programs, tools, and resources. Key among these is the NIH Inclusion Outreach Toolkit , a vital resource for researchers. This toolkit provides comprehensive guidance on the importance of including women in clinical research, offering tools and best practices to support inclusion. In addition, ORWH collaborates with NIH ICs on research programs aimed at addressing women’s health disparities . For instance, the U3 Interdisciplinary Research Program , focuses on advancing health outcomes for populations highlighted in the Data Book. ORWH also supports initiatives such as our partnership with the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and other NIH institutes to advance women’s health research and equity, particularly in Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) states . These states and territories benefit from targeted funding aimed at expanding research capacity and addressing health disparities.

As we continue to enhance women’s health research, I invite you to explore our resources and join us in our mission to foster a future where every woman receives evidence-based health care.  

Looking Ahead: Upcoming Events in Women’s Health Research

As we continue to drive progress in women’s health, I am excited to highlight two key upcoming events that promise to advance our understanding and impact. On September 30, 2024, the Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences will host its 2024 annual meeting, featuring a keynote address that emphasizes crucial advancements in research on sex differences and a capstone address that maps out contemporary challenges within the health enterprise. This initiative is pivotal to bridging gaps in understanding sex influences in health and disease. Following this event, on October 1, 2024, the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) 2024 Annual Meeting will take place. This event will provide a comprehensive platform for discussing and fostering interdisciplinary research careers in women’s health. I encourage everyone to engage in these important events as we continue to advance research, career development, and policy in women’s health. They will not only showcase ongoing research, but also set the stage for future breakthroughs.  

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to improving women’s health and well-being. I look forward to sharing more updates and breakthroughs with you in the coming months. 

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Acupuncture: Effectiveness and Safety

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Acupuncture is a technique in which practitioners insert fine needles into the skin to treat health problems. The needles may be manipulated manually or stimulated with small electrical currents (electroacupuncture). Acupuncture has been in use in some form for at least 2,500 years. It originated from  traditional Chinese medicine but has gained popularity worldwide since the 1970s.

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According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture is used in 103 of 129 countries that reported data.

In the United States, data from the National Health Interview Survey show that the use of acupuncture by U.S. adults more than doubled between 2002 and 2022. In 2002, 1.0 percent of U.S. adults used acupuncture; in 2022, 2.2 percent used it. 

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National survey data indicate that in the United States, acupuncture is most commonly used for pain, such as back, joint, or neck pain.

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How acupuncture works is not fully understood. However, there’s evidence that acupuncture may have effects on the nervous system, effects on other body tissues, and nonspecific (placebo) effects. 

• Studies in animals and people, including studies that used imaging methods to see what’s happening in the brain, have shown that acupuncture may affect nervous system function.
• Acupuncture may have direct effects on the tissues where the needles are inserted. This type of effect has been seen in connective tissue.
• Acupuncture has nonspecific effects (effects due to incidental aspects of a treatment rather than its main mechanism of action). Nonspecific effects may be due to the patient’s belief in the treatment, the relationship between the practitioner and the patient, or other factors not directly caused by the insertion of needles. In many studies, the benefit of acupuncture has been greater when it was compared with no treatment than when it was compared with sham (simulated or fake) acupuncture procedures, such as the use of a device that pokes the skin but does not penetrate it. These findings suggest that nonspecific effects contribute to the beneficial effect of acupuncture on pain or other symptoms. 
• In recent research, a nonspecific effect was demonstrated in a unique way: Patients who had experienced pain relief during a previous acupuncture session were shown a video of that session and asked to imagine the treatment happening again. This video-guided imagery technique had a significant pain-relieving effect.

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Research has shown that acupuncture may be helpful for several pain conditions, including back or neck pain, knee pain associated with osteoarthritis, and postoperative pain. It may also help relieve joint pain associated with the use of aromatase inhibitors, which are drugs used in people with breast cancer. 

An analysis of data from 20 studies (6,376 participants) of people with painful conditions (back pain, osteoarthritis, neck pain, or headaches) showed that the beneficial effects of acupuncture continued for a year after the end of treatment for all conditions except neck pain.

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• In a 2018 review, data from 12 studies (8,003 participants) showed acupuncture was more effective than no treatment for back or neck pain, and data from 10 studies (1,963 participants) showed acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture. The difference between acupuncture and no treatment was greater than the difference between acupuncture and sham acupuncture. The pain-relieving effect of acupuncture was comparable to that of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
• A 2017 clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians included acupuncture among the nondrug options recommended as first-line treatment for chronic low-back pain. Acupuncture is also one of the treatment options recommended for acute low-back pain. The evidence favoring acupuncture for acute low-back pain was judged to be of low quality, and the evidence for chronic low-back pain was judged to be of moderate quality.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on low-back pain .

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• In a 2018 review, data from 10 studies (2,413 participants) showed acupuncture was more effective than no treatment for osteoarthritis pain, and data from 9 studies (2,376 participants) showed acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture. The difference between acupuncture and no treatment was greater than the difference between acupuncture and sham acupuncture. Most of the participants in these studies had knee osteoarthritis, but some had hip osteoarthritis. The pain-relieving effect of acupuncture was comparable to that of NSAIDs.
• A 2018 review evaluated 6 studies (413 participants) of acupuncture for hip osteoarthritis. Two of the studies compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture and found little or no difference between them in terms of effects on pain. The other four studies compared acupuncture with a variety of other treatments and could not easily be compared with one another. However, one of the trials indicated that the addition of acupuncture to routine care by a physician may improve pain and function in patients with hip osteoarthritis.
• A 2019 clinical practice guideline from the American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation conditionally recommends acupuncture for osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, or hand. The guideline states that the greatest number of studies showing benefits have been for knee osteoarthritis.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on osteoarthritis .

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• A 2020   review of nine studies that compared acupuncture with various drugs for preventing migraine found that acupuncture was slightly more effective, and study participants who received acupuncture were much less likely than those receiving drugs to drop out of studies because of side effects.
• There’s moderate-quality evidence that acupuncture may reduce the frequency of migraines (from a 2016 evaluation of 22 studies with almost 5,000 people). The evidence from these studies also suggests that acupuncture may be better than sham acupuncture, but the difference is small. There is moderate- to low-quality evidence that acupuncture may reduce the frequency of tension headaches (from a 2016 evaluation of 12 studies with about 2,350 people).

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on headache .

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• Myofascial pain syndrome is a common form of pain derived from muscles and their related connective tissue (fascia). It involves tender nodules called “trigger points.” Pressing on these nodules reproduces the patient’s pattern of pain.
• A combined analysis of a small number of studies of acupuncture for myofascial pain syndrome showed that acupuncture applied to trigger points had a favorable effect on pain intensity (5 studies, 215 participants), but acupuncture applied to traditional acupuncture points did not (4 studies, 80 participants).  

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• Sciatica involves pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg, usually on one side of the body, caused by damage to or pressure on the sciatic nerve—a nerve that starts in the lower back and runs down the back of each leg.
• Two 2015 evaluations of the evidence, one including 12 studies with 1,842 total participants and the other including 11 studies with 962 total participants, concluded that acupuncture may be helpful for sciatica pain, but the quality of the research is not good enough to allow definite conclusions to be reached.

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• A 2016 evaluation of 11 studies of pain after surgery (with a total of 682 participants) found that patients treated with acupuncture or related techniques 1 day after surgery had less pain and used less opioid pain medicine after the operation.

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• A 2016 review of 20 studies (1,639 participants) indicated that acupuncture was not more effective in relieving cancer pain than conventional drug therapy. However, there was some evidence that acupuncture plus drug therapy might be better than drug therapy alone.
• A 2017 review of 5 studies (181 participants) of acupuncture for aromatase inhibitor-induced joint pain in breast cancer patients concluded that 6 to 8 weeks of acupuncture treatment may help reduce the pain. However, the individual studies only included small numbers of women and used a variety of acupuncture techniques and measurement methods, so they were difficult to compare.
• A larger 2018 study included 226 women with early-stage breast cancer who were taking aromatase inhibitors. The study found that the women who received 6 weeks of acupuncture treatment, given twice each week, reported less joint pain than the participants who received sham or no acupuncture.

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• Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a condition in men that involves inflammation of or near the prostate gland; its cause is uncertain.
• A review of 3 studies (204 total participants) suggested that acupuncture may reduce prostatitis symptoms, compared with a sham procedure. Because follow-up of the study participants was relatively brief and the numbers of studies and participants were small, a definite conclusion cannot be reached about acupuncture’s effects.

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• A 2019 review of 41 studies (3,440 participants) showed that acupuncture was no more effective than sham acupuncture for symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, but there was some evidence that acupuncture could be helpful when used in addition to other forms of treatment.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on irritable bowel syndrome .

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• A 2019 review of 12 studies (824 participants) of people with fibromyalgia indicated that acupuncture was significantly better than sham acupuncture for relieving pain, but the evidence was of low-to-moderate quality.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on fibromyalgia . 

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In addition to pain conditions, acupuncture has also been studied for at least 50 other health problems. There is evidence that acupuncture may help relieve seasonal allergy symptoms, stress incontinence in women, and nausea and vomiting associated with cancer treatment. It may also help relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life in people with asthma, but it has not been shown to improve lung function.

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• A 2015 evaluation of 13 studies of acupuncture for allergic rhinitis, involving a total of 2,365 participants, found evidence that acupuncture may help relieve nasal symptoms. The study participants who received acupuncture also had lower medication scores (meaning that they used less medication to treat their symptoms) and lower blood levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), a type of antibody associated with allergies.
• A 2014 clinical practice guideline from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery included acupuncture among the options health care providers may offer to patients with allergic rhinitis.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on seasonal allergies .

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• Stress incontinence is a bladder control problem in which movement—coughing, sneezing, laughing, or physical activity—puts pressure on the bladder and causes urine to leak.
• In a 2017 study of about 500 women with stress incontinence, participants who received electroacupuncture treatment (18 sessions over 6 weeks) had reduced urine leakage, with about two-thirds of the women having a decrease in leakage of 50 percent or more. This was a rigorous study that met current standards for avoiding bias.

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• Experts generally agree that acupuncture is helpful for treatment-related nausea and vomiting in cancer patients, but this conclusion is based primarily on research conducted before current guidelines for treating these symptoms were adopted. It’s uncertain whether acupuncture is beneficial when used in combination with current standard treatments for nausea and vomiting.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on cancer .

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• In a study conducted in Germany in 2017, 357 participants receiving routine asthma care were randomly assigned to receive or not receive acupuncture, and an additional 1,088 people who received acupuncture for asthma were also studied. Adding acupuncture to routine care was associated with better quality of life compared to routine care alone.
• A review of 9 earlier studies (777 participants) showed that adding acupuncture to conventional asthma treatment improved symptoms but not lung function.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on asthma .

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• A 2018 review of 64 studies (7,104 participants) of acupuncture for depression indicated that acupuncture may result in a moderate reduction in the severity of depression when compared with treatment as usual or no treatment. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution because most of the studies were of low or very low quality.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on depression .

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• In recommendations on smoking cessation treatment issued in 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of experts that makes evidence-based recommendations about disease prevention, did not make a recommendation about the use of acupuncture as a stop-smoking treatment because only limited evidence was available. This decision was based on a 2014 review of 9 studies (1,892 participants) that looked at the effect of acupuncture on smoking cessation results for 6 months or more and found no significant benefit. Some studies included in that review showed evidence of a possible small benefit of acupuncture on quitting smoking for shorter periods of time.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on quitting smoking .

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• A 2021 review evaluated 6 studies (2,507 participants) that compared the effects of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on the success of in vitro fertilization as a treatment for infertility. No difference was found between the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups in rates of pregnancy or live birth.
• A 2020 review evaluated 12 studies (1,088 participants) on the use of acupuncture to improve sperm quality in men who had low sperm numbers and low sperm motility. The reviewers concluded that the evidence was inadequate for firm conclusions to be drawn because of the varied design of the studies and the poor quality of some of them. 

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• A 2018 review of 12 studies with 869 participants concluded that acupuncture and laser acupuncture (a treatment that uses lasers instead of needles) may have little or no effect on carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms in comparison with sham acupuncture. It’s uncertain how the effects of acupuncture compare with those of other treatments for this condition.    
• In a 2017 study not included in the review described above, 80 participants with carpal tunnel syndrome were randomly assigned to one of three interventions: (1) electroacupuncture to the more affected hand; (2) electroacupuncture at “distal” body sites, near the ankle opposite to the more affected hand; and (3) local sham electroacupuncture using nonpenetrating placebo needles. All three interventions reduced symptom severity, but local and distal acupuncture were better than sham acupuncture at producing desirable changes in the wrist and the brain.

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• A 2018 review of studies of acupuncture for vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause (hot flashes and related symptoms such as night sweats) analyzed combined evidence from an earlier review of 15 studies (1,127 participants) and 4 newer studies (696 additional participants). The analysis showed that acupuncture was better than no acupuncture at reducing the frequency and severity of symptoms. However, acupuncture was not shown to be better than sham acupuncture.

For more information, see the  NCCIH webpage on menopause .

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• Auricular acupuncture is a type of acupuncture that involves stimulating specific areas of the ear. 
• In a 2019 review of 15 studies (930 participants) of auricular acupuncture or auricular acupressure (a form of auricular therapy that does not involve penetration with needles), the treatment significantly reduced pain intensity, and 80 percent of the individual studies showed favorable effects on various measures related to pain.
• A 2020 review of 9 studies (783 participants) of auricular acupuncture for cancer pain showed that auricular acupuncture produced better pain relief than sham auricular acupuncture. Also, pain relief was better with a combination of auricular acupuncture and drug therapy than with drug therapy alone.
• An inexpensive, easily learned form of auricular acupuncture called “battlefield acupuncture” has been used by the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to treat pain. However, a 2021 review of 9 studies (692 participants) of battlefield acupuncture for pain in adults did not find any significant improvement in pain when this technique was compared with no treatment, usual care, delayed treatment, or sham battlefield acupuncture.

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• Relatively few complications from using acupuncture have been reported. However, complications have resulted from use of nonsterile needles and improper delivery of treatments.
• When not delivered properly, acupuncture can cause serious adverse effects, including infections, punctured organs, and injury to the central nervous system.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates acupuncture needles as medical devices and requires that they be sterile and labeled for single use only.

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• Some health insurance policies cover acupuncture, but others don’t. Coverage is often limited based on the condition being treated.
• An analysis of data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative U.S. survey, showed that the share of adult acupuncturist visits with any insurance coverage increased from 41.1 percent in 2010–2011 to 50.2 percent in 2018–2019.
• Medicare covers acupuncture only for the treatment of chronic low-back pain. Coverage began in 2020. Up to 12 acupuncture visits are covered, with an additional 8 visits available if the first 12 result in improvement. Medicaid coverage of acupuncture varies from state to state.

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• Most states license acupuncturists, but the requirements for licensing vary from state to state. To find out more about licensing of acupuncturists and other complementary health practitioners, visit the NCCIH webpage  Credentialing, Licensing, and Education . 

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NCCIH funds research to evaluate acupuncture’s effectiveness for various kinds of pain and other conditions and to further understand how the body responds to acupuncture and how acupuncture might work. Some recent NCCIH-supported studies involve:

• Evaluating the feasibility of using acupuncture in hospital emergency departments.
• Testing whether the effect of acupuncture on chronic low-back pain can be enhanced by combining it with transcranial direct current stimulation.
• Evaluating a portable acupuncture-based nerve stimulation treatment for anxiety disorders.

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• Don’t use acupuncture to postpone seeing a health care provider about a health problem.
• Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.

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Nccih clearinghouse.

The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health approaches, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.

Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226

Telecommunications relay service (TRS): 7-1-1

Website: https://www.nccih.nih.gov

Email: [email protected] (link sends email)

Know the Science

NCCIH and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide tools to help you understand the basics and terminology of scientific research so you can make well-informed decisions about your health. Know the Science features a variety of materials, including interactive modules, quizzes, and videos, as well as links to informative content from Federal resources designed to help consumers make sense of health information.

Explaining How Research Works (NIH)

Know the Science: How To Make Sense of a Scientific Journal Article

Understanding Clinical Studies (NIH)

A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed .

Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

NIH Clinical Research Trials and You

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a website, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You, to help people learn about clinical trials, why they matter, and how to participate. The site includes questions and answers about clinical trials, guidance on how to find clinical trials through ClinicalTrials.gov and other resources, and stories about the personal experiences of clinical trial participants. Clinical trials are necessary to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases.

Website: https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you

Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures & Results (RePORTER)

RePORTER is a database of information on federally funded scientific and medical research projects being conducted at research institutions.

Website: https://reporter.nih.gov

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• Befus D, Coeytaux RR, Goldstein KM, et al.  Management of menopause symptoms with acupuncture: an umbrella systematic review and meta-analysis . Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2018;24(4):314-323.
• Bleck   R, Marquez E, Gold MA, et al.  A scoping review of acupuncture insurance coverage in the United States . Acupuncture in Medicine. 2020;964528420964214.
• Briggs JP, Shurtleff D.  Acupuncture and the complex connections between the mind and the body. JAMA. 2017;317(24):2489-2490.
• Brinkhaus B, Roll S, Jena S, et al.  Acupuncture in patients with allergic asthma: a randomized pragmatic trial. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2017;23(4):268-277.
• Chan MWC, Wu XY, Wu JCY, et al.  Safety of acupuncture: overview of systematic reviews. Scientific Reports. 2017;7(1):3369.
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Acknowledgments

NCCIH thanks Pete Murray, Ph.D., David Shurtleff, Ph.D., and Helene M. Langevin, M.D., NCCIH for their review of the 2022 update of this fact sheet. 

This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.

NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.

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