The reform of higher education in the Republic of Poland, which was introduced by the Act of 20 July 2018 Law on higher education and science (Dz.U. 2018, item 1668, as amended; hereinafter: Law on higher education and science), revitalized interests in the freedom of scientific research, optimal ways of its implementation and the role of the state in the support of scientific and research activities. For this reason providing an answer to questions concerning the genesis of regulation of the freedom of scientific research in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2nd April, 1997 (Dz.U. 1997, No. 78, item 483, as amended; hereinafter: the Constitution of the Republic of Poland), specifically in relation to its recognition and position in the Polish constitution, the normative content of the freedom, the beneficiaries and entities obliged to comply with it, appears appropriate. These issues seem to be of particular importance. First of all, the freedom of scientific research shall be one of the crucial elements of a knowledge-based economy, with a significant role of higher educational institutions. Secondly, the proper functioning of universities indicates a broader establishment of human rights. What is more, the hitherto undertaken attempts to define the freedom of scientific research seem not to be incisive enough. The aim of this article, therefore, is to draw attention to the issues and difficulties associated with the freedom of scientific research. The answers given to the aforementioned questions, however, having regard to the limited scope of the publication, cannot be deemed definitive.

Constitutional freedom of scientific research and bibliometric impact. The condition of publications with international impact in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc

The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union significantly changed the maps of Europe and Asia. As a rule, the constitutions of the newly independent or newly created states guaranteed the freedom of scientific research; however, in practice this principle, measured by the number of publications with international impact, has been implemented in different ways. This article aims to determine the patterns of international collaboration on academic publications adopted in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, and suggests possible explanations of differences between them. The research led to identification of four such patterns: 1) isolation from foreign research, 2) effective independence, 3) ineffective collaboration, 4) effective collaboration.

Perception of the Implementation of Academic Freedom by Academic Teachers in Poland

Stemming from the theory of the perception of human rights, the article identifies the main types of violations of academic freedom in Polish universities, the features of scientists, and the type of university the most often affected by these violations. The methods involve basic descriptive statistics measures and ordinary least squares regression. The study reveals that perceived academic freedom is higher for full professors or university professors than for assistant professors. The highest violations are felt by scientists holding lower academic positions but with long work experience. Academics employed at universities with a long tradition of education perceive the implementation of academic freedom more positively than their colleagues employed at universities with a short tradition of education.