Academic Freedom in the Social Sciences: The Freedom to Serve Society

Abstract

The data on which this essay is based were originally collected as part of a larger study investigating Academic Freedom and Commercialisation in Australian Universities (see Kayrooz, Kinnear, & Preston, 2001). A web-based questionnaire survey of social scientists across 12 universities in Australia was completed by 165 respondents (representing a 20% response rate). At the end of the questionnaire, respondents were asked to indicate whether they would be willing to engage in a follow-up telephone interview. Ten of those who indicated their willingness to be interviewed were contacted, and all agreed to the interview.

Citation

Åkerlind, G.S. (2007), "Academic Freedom in the Social Sciences: The Freedom to Serve Society", Kayrooz, C., Åkerlind, G.S. and Tight, M. (Ed.) Autonomy in Social Science Research (International Perspectives on Higher Education Research, Vol. 4), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 31-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1479-3628(06)04002-0