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State of the science of taxonomy in Australia: results of the 2016 Survey of Taxonomic Capacity

2017
State of the science of taxonomy in Australia, results of the 2016 Survey of Taxonomic Capacity cover

State of the science of taxonomy in Australia:
results of the 2016 Survey of Taxonomic Capacity
cover

Download this report

  • State of the science of taxonomy in Australia: results of the 2016 Survey of Taxonomic Capacity (PDF - 2.84 MB)
  • State of the science of taxonomy in Australia: results of the 2016 Survey of Taxonomic Capacity (DOCX - 1.16 MB)

Abstract

The Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) is committed to facilitating and supporting Australian researchers in the field of taxonomy and systematics. The ABRS has conducted surveys of taxonomic research capacity in 1975, 1991, 2003 and 2016. Here, we present the results of the most recent survey. We found that the number of researchers actively working in taxonomy and systematics has fallen over the years, but that proportionally more women are now working in the field. We also found that the field is supported substantially by retired or honorary researchers, with over a quarter of the workforce in unsalaried positions. This does enable a sustained level of productivity in the field, but also does mask the fact that there are fewer paid positions in the field. A consistent concern of researchers in the field is that of funding, and job security/career opportunities, highlighted in surveys in 2016, 2003 and 1991. Newer concerns highlighted in 2016 were the lack of positions for postdoctoral researchers and beyond, and the way taxonomy is perceived particularly in the context of bibliometrics. Australia has a good representation of researchers in the Arthropoda and Angiospermae, but there are many taxonomic groups for which we lack experts.

Copyright information

© Copyright Commonwealth of Australia, 2017.

State of the science of taxonomy in Australia: results of the 2016 Survey of Taxonomic Capacity is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This report should be attributed as ‘State of the science of taxonomy in Australia: results of the 2016 Survey of Taxonomic Capacity, Commonwealth of Australia 2017’.

The Commonwealth of Australia has made all reasonable efforts to identify content supplied by third parties using the following format ‘© Copyright, [name of third party]’.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment and Energy.

While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication.

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Last updated: 03 October 2021

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