Boshoff, Nelius; Gauch, Stephan; Basson, Isabel; Hamarowski, Bartosz; Sachse, Jacqueline; Butcher, Gillian; Sorgatz, Nikita; Wróblewska, Marta Natalia; Williams, Kate
The paper evaluates the possibility of tracking societal impact of research by applying the logic of citations to parliamentary debates. It explores the extent and manner in which science and research are mentioned by parliamentary speakers. We analysed 3,815 relevant segments from 331 parliamentary debate documents across five countries (Australia, Germany, Poland, South Africa, and the UK) for the year 2023. Using grounded theory-inspired content analysis, we classified mentions based on the degree of traceable scientific evidence invoked versus appeals to scientific authority. Results show that scientific evidence is frequently mobilised, with the highest density of relevant segments in the UK and Australia. Fully traceable referencing of specific publications is rare (4–13% of evidence segments). Speakers typically name research producers or invoke collective scientific authority. Parliamentary debates offer potential for societal impact metrics, but the lack of traceable claims challenges traditional bibliometric methods, suggesting the need for reflexive evaluation.
