Alearned society (/ˈlɜːrnɪd/LEHRN-id; alsoscholarly,intellectual, oracademic society) is anorganization that exists to promote anacademic discipline,profession, or a group of related disciplines such asthe arts andsciences.[1] Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honour conferred by election.[2]
Most learned societies arenon-profit organizations, and many areprofessional associations. Their activities typically include holding regularconferences for the presentation and discussion of newresearch results, and publishing or sponsoringacademic journals in their discipline. Some also act as professional bodies, regulating the activities of their members in the public interest or the collective interest of the membership.[3]
Some of the oldest learned societies are theAcadémie des Jeux floraux (founded 1323),[4]Sodalitas Litterarum Vistulana (founded 1488),Accademia della Crusca (founded 1583),[5]Accademia dei Lincei (founded 1603),[6]Académie Française (founded 1635),[7]German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (founded 1652),[8]Royal Society (founded 1660) andFrench Academy of Sciences (founded 1666).
Scholars in thesociology of science[who?] argue that learned societies are of key importance and their formation assists in the emergence and development of new disciplines or professions.[9] In the form of professional associations, they can assist in the creation of pathways to leadership.[10]
Societies can be very general in nature, such as theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, specific to a given discipline, such as theModern Language Association, or specific to a given area of study, such as theRoyal Entomological Society.
Most are either specific to a particular country (e.g. theEntomological Society of Israel), though they generally include some members from other countries as well, often with local branches, or are international, such as theInternational Federation of Library Associations and Institutions or theRegional Studies Association, in which case they often have national branches. But many are local, such as theMassachusetts Medical Society, the publishers of the internationally knownThe New England Journal of Medicine.
Some learned societies (such as theRoyal Society Te Apārangi) have been rechartered by legislation to formquasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations.
Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election.[2]
Some societies offer membership to those who have an interest in a particular subject or discipline, provided they pay their membership fees. Older and more academic/professional societies may offer associateships and/or fellowships tofellows who are appropriately qualified byhonoris causa, or by submission of a portfolio of work or an original thesis. A benefit of membership may be discounts on the subscription rates for the publications of the society. Many of these societies awardpost-nominal letters to their memberships.
The membership at theWorld Association in Economics is free of cost.[11]
Following theglobalization and the development of information technology, certain scholarly societies—such as the Modern Language Association—have created virtual communities for their members. In addition to established academic associations, academicvirtual communities have been so organized that, in some cases, they have become more important platforms for interaction and scientific collaborations among researchers and faculty than have traditional scholarly societies.[citation needed]Members of these online academic communities, grouped by areas of interests, use for their communication shared and dedicatedlistservs (for exampleJISCMail), social networking services (likeFacebook orLinkedIn) and academic oriented social networks (like Humanities Commons,ResearchGate,Mendeley orAcademia.edu).[12][13]
Scholarly Societies Project - Edition 2 – database of hundreds of scholarly societies in various fields, focusing on the oldest societies; includes abbreviations for their journal titles
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