Currently available data on legislative research and analytical services are skimpy and contradictory, largely because of incomplete definitions about what constitutes “research” in a parliamentary setting and also because of the many actors that may be engaged in the enterprise.

This paper represents a preliminary step in ascertaining more accurately the extent and location of research services operating in legislatures. It is drawn from a survey designed to obtain broader coverage of research units that may be based outside the parliamentary library, and offers brief vignettes describing several research services to illustrate the variety of such activities and settings.