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RFCD, SEO and ANZSIC Codes
- The Australian Standard Research Classification (ASRC)
- Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines (RFCD) classification
- Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) classification
- The Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)
The Australian Standard Research Classification (ASRC)
The Australian Standard Research Classification (ASRC) is the collective name for a set of three related classifications developed for use in the measurement and analysis of research and experimental development (R&D) undertaken in Australia, both in the public and private sectors. It allows the comparison of R&D data between sectors of the Australian economy (e.g. general government, private non-profit organisations, business enterprises and educational institutions). One of the component classifications, Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines, is designed to also allow data collected on higher education courses, units of study and teaching activity to be categorised.
There are three classifications in the ASRC:
- Type of Activity;
- Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines ; and
- Socio-economic Objective
Australian Standard Research Classification (ASRC), 1998
Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines (RFCD) classification
This classification allows both R&D activity and other activity within the higher education sector to be categorised.
The categories in the classification include recognised academic disciplines and related major sub-fields taught at universities or tertiary institutions, major fields of research investigated by national research institutions and organisations, and emerging areas of study.
While this classification includes individual specialised fields of national interest, it generally reflects the overall structure of disciplinary fields.
R&D activity is classified according to the field of research undertaken. In this respect, it is the nature of the R&D itself which is being examined, rather than the activity of the performing unit or the purpose of the R&D. Higher education courses, units of study and teaching activity are classified according to field.
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) classification
The SEO Classification allows R&D data to be classified according to the researcher's perceived purpose. The purpose categories take account of processes, products, health, education and other social and environmental aspects of particular interest.
A purpose classification such as the SEO provides a set of categories which collectively exhaust all the objectives of research. In this respect, the scope of the SEO is more extensive than a classification of economic activities such as the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), because not all R&D has an economic motive or context.
The Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)
The Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)
has been developed for use in both countries for the production and analysis
of industry statistics. It replaces the Australian Standard Industrial Classification
(ASIC) and the New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (NZSIC) which
have been in use for many years. Both have been widely accepted as statistical
standards in their own right.
There has been extensive consultation with external users to ensure that
the ANZSIC reflects the structure of Australian and New Zealand industry and
user requirements for statistics. The Australian Bureau of Statistics and the
New Zealand Department of Statistics encourage other organisations to use the
classification in their own work in order to improve the comparability and
usefulness of statistics.
