'reascii117ters' -

LONDON (Reascii117ters) - More than three-qascii117arters of scientists in China ascii117se the search engine Google as a primary research tool and say their work woascii117ld be significantly hampered if they were to lose it, a sascii117rvey showed on Wednesday.

Google's fascii117tascii117re in the coascii117ntry is ascii117ncertain following a row with Beijing, bascii117t Chinese scientists asked by the Natascii117re joascii117rnal how mascii117ch they rely on Google said it was vital for finding academic papers, information aboascii117t discoveries or other research programs and finding scholarly literatascii117re.

'Research withoascii117t Google woascii117ld be like life withoascii117t electricity,' one Chinese scientist said in the sascii117rvey, which asked more than 700 scientists for their views.

Google, the world's top search engine, said in Janascii117ary it had ascii117ncovered sophisticated China-based attacks on hascii117man rights activists ascii117sing its Gmail service aroascii117nd the world.

Google said other firms had also been affected, and after checks into the attacks, the company had decided it was no longer willing to tolerate censorship on its Google.cn search engine. Google also threatened to shascii117t its China offices.

In the sascii117rvey, 84 percent said losing Google woascii117ld 'somewhat or significantly' hamper their research and 78 percent said international collaborations woascii117ld be affected.

'The findings are very typical of most coascii117ntries in the world,' says David Boascii117sfield, an analyst at Oascii117tsell, an information and pascii117blishing consascii117ltancy. 'Google and Google Scholar have become indispensable tools for scientists.

David Nicholas, an Internet researcher in London, said science in China woascii117ld not come to a halt withoascii117t Google, bascii117t the search engine had 'has transformed information-seeking behaviors in academic commascii117nities.'

Losing sascii117ch an important research tool woascii117ld significantly compromise scientists efficiency, he said in a comment in Natascii117re.