This paper presents the results of the 2018 OECD International Survey of Scientific Authors (ISSA2), a global online survey designed and implemented to measure the key features of the digital transformation of science. The paper explores the potential impacts of digitalisation based on a combination of different indicators on research impact and responses from nearly 12 000 authors across the world. The evidence shows that although digital activity is pervasive, the transformation is uneven across fields and sectors, and is influenced by factors such as norms, experience, skills and data availability. Overall, scientists appear to be optimistic about the potential of digitalisation, especially in relation to the efficiency of research and collaboration across national borders. This paper is also the first analysis to leverage a new OECD approach to data collection in priority science policy topics for which evidence might be scarce or insufficiently timely.