Social representation of research and scientific activity: A study with PhD students [Representação social da pesquisa e da atividade científica: Um estudo com doutorandos]

Abstract

This paper analyzes the social representation of the concept of research constructed by students enrolled in a doctoral program. The social representation was obtained from the content analysis of a set of 26 interviews. This analysis showed a separation between basic and applied research, the presence of ethic notions about "good" and "bad" use of science findings and the researcher responsibility of this use. We were able to identify the basic processes that generate the social representation of research for this group.