teadusalas

Teadusalas is an Estonian term used to denote the field or domain of science. In general, it refers to the set of scientific disciplines or areas of research that make up the knowledge landscape of science. The phrase can be applied to broad domains such as natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities, as well as to more specific subfields within them.

Etymology and usage notes: the word combines teadus (science) and ala (field or domain). The form teadusalas is the inessive case meaning “in the field of science” or used to indicate the area under scientific inquiry. The corresponding nominative forms are teadusala (singular) and teadusalad (plural). In academic and policy texts, teadusalas often appears when discussing the scope of research, funding priorities, or curriculum design, to refer to the range of scientific domains under consideration.

Relationship to related terms: teadusalas should not be confused with teadusala, which typically denotes a single field of science, or with teadusalad, the plural form referring to multiple fields. Other related terms include teadusvaldkond (a broader field or sector of science) and teadusharu (a branch or discipline within science).

See also: Estonian language, science policy, list of scientific fields, research funding.