Libraries & Librarians

Results From Ithaka S+R US Researcher Survey Released

October 8, 2026

Buffeted by Change, Researchers Seek Continuity and Investment: Results from the Ithaka S+R US Researcher Survey was written by:

Chelsea McCracken
Dylan Ruediger
Ruby MacDougall

From the Report’s Executive Summary:

The research enterprise in the United States, established after the second world war, is experiencing massive disruption. US colleges and universities are grappling with federal and state disinvestment and intervention at a time when AI and other technologies are reshaping how research is conducted and its findings are communicated. As a result, researchers at US higher education institutions are operating in an unstable environment. Against this backdrop, the findings from our survey of 4,003 researchers, fielded in late 2025, demonstrate that they remain committed to carrying out essential work and that they are doing so in innovative ways—through collaboration, the creation of valuable educational experiences, and pushing knowledge towards the next frontier. While researchers don’t necessarily agree on how their sector should respond to the changing environment, our findings underscore the importance of stability, continuity, and sustained investment.

Key Findings

AI is producing deep divisions among researchers, but disclosure has emerged as a shared ethical baseline. Researchers distribute responsibility for governing AI use across the scholarly ecosystem, a model that could support collective stewardship but may also leave critical accountability gaps.

While access to resources varies widely, government funding is critical to the research enterprise. Institutions have limited capacity for a sustained federal retreat.

Despite resource restraints, researchers generally feel valued and supported by their institutions, with libraries emerging as a particularly important source of stability.

Collaboration knits together the research enterprise, creating connections through which ideas circulate and discoveries are made. Students are important participants in these networks, underscoring how closely research and teaching are intertwined.

The peer-reviewed article remains the coin of the realm, but it represents only the most visible part of a much richer scholarly ecosystem. Researchers produce work for students, communities, and other audiences while contributing the often-unrecognized labor—mentoring, peer review, research assistance, and leadership—that makes knowledge production possible.