Research

The Smithsonian is one of the world’s foremost research entities, with thousands of scientists and scholars across its museums and research centers producing ground-breaking work in many fields of science, history, art, and culture. Visit our Research News page for more information. 

1,728 Total Publications Calendar Year 2023
1,541 Book, Book Chapter, and Journal Publications Calendar Year 2023
77 Datasets Calendar Year 2023
shelves with publications

A standard measure of research productivity in the social and natural sciences is the number of scholarly publications authored by Smithsonian staff. These include journal articles, books, book chapters, exhibition catalogs, and other significant publications. Another increasingly important measure is the availability of Smithsonian research datasets to other researchers. However, these numbers do not tell the full story of Smithsonian scholarly output, which is also embodied in exhibitions, websites, conference presentations, and other non-published sources. Learn more at Smithsonian Research Online and Smithsonian Profiles

542 Proposals Fiscal Year 2023
$215M Grant and Contract Awards Fiscal Year 2023
Satellite

Every year, Smithsonian scholars apply or compete for external funds to support their research from foundations, government agencies, corporations, and individual donors. The Smithsonian’s ability to draw substantial outside funding is a measure of the quality of the work undertaken by its scholars and researchers. 

146 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science thru Q4 Fiscal Year 2023
43 Members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences thru Q4 Fiscal Year 2023
32 Members of the National Academies thru Q4 Fiscal Year 2023
National Academy of Sciences Meeting, Smithsonian Castle, 1874

Since its founding in 1876, Smithsonian scholars from a myriad of disciplines have received honors and awards that recognize their leading contributions to art, science, history, and culture, and to the advancement of scholarship and education across the world. The Institution's scholars have been invited to join prestigious professional societies, have been honored by their peers in their respective fields, and have received awards from global authorities for their worldwide impact.

ODT Smithsonian Organization and Audience Research/OCIO