Science Indicators: Improvements Needed in Design, Construction, and Interpretation

The National Science Board's "Science Indicators" reports are collections of measures which attempt to portray significant trends in the condition and direction of U.S. science and technology. Development of these indicators is a very complex and difficult task, and the art is still in an early stage of evolution. Indicators in the 1976 report were examined to determine their validity, their limitations, and possible improvements in their selection, design, and interpretation.