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Composition of scientific teams and publication productivity at a national science lab

Author

Listed:
  • Besiki Stvilia
  • Charles C. Hinnant
  • Katy Schindler
  • Adam Worrall
  • Gary Burnett
  • Kathleen Burnett
  • Michelle M. Kazmer
  • Paul F. Marty

Abstract

The production of scientific knowledge has evolved from a process of inquiry largely based on the activities of individual scientists to one grounded in the collaborative efforts of specialized research teams. This shift brings to light a new question: how the composition of scientific teams affects their production of knowledge. This study employs data from 1,415 experiments conducted at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) between 2005 and 2008 to identify and select a sample of 89 teams and examine whether team diversity and network characteristics affect productivity. The study examines how the diversity of science teams along several variables affects overall team productivity. Results indicate several diversity measures associated with network position and team productivity. Teams with mixed institutional associations were more central to the overall network compared with teams that primarily comprised NHMFL's own scientists. Team cohesion was positively related to productivity. The study indicates that high productivity in teams is associated with high disciplinary diversity and low seniority diversity of team membership. Finally, an increase in the share of senior members negatively affects productivity, and teams with members in central structural positions perform better than other teams.

Suggested Citation

  • Besiki Stvilia & Charles C. Hinnant & Katy Schindler & Adam Worrall & Gary Burnett & Kathleen Burnett & Michelle M. Kazmer & Paul F. Marty, 2011. "Composition of scientific teams and publication productivity at a national science lab," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 62(2), pages 270-283, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:jamist:v:62:y:2011:i:2:p:270-283
    DOI: 10.1002/asi.21464
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    Cited by:

    1. Karolina Urbanska & Sylvie Huet & Serge Guimond, 2019. "Does increased interdisciplinary contact among hard and social scientists help or hinder interdisciplinary research?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, September.
    2. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo & Gianluca Murgia, 2014. "Variation in research collaboration patterns across academic ranks," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 98(3), pages 2275-2294, March.
    3. Michele Pezzoni & Jacques Mairesse & Paula Stephan & Julia Lane, 2016. "Gender and the Publication Output of Graduate Students: A Case Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, January.
    4. Zuo, Zhiya & Zhao, Kang, 2018. "The more multidisciplinary the better? – The prevalence and interdisciplinarity of research collaborations in multidisciplinary institutions," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 736-756.
    5. Esther Hormiga & Petra Saá-Pérez & Nieves L. Díaz-Díaz & José Luis Ballesteros-Rodríguez & Inmaculada Aguiar-Diaz, 2017. "The influence of entrepreneurial orientation on the performance of academic research groups: the mediating role of knowledge sharing," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 10-32, February.
    6. Guillaume Cabanac & Gilles Hubert & Béatrice Milard, 2015. "Academic careers in Computer Science: continuance and transience of lifetime co-authorships," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(1), pages 135-150, January.
    7. Wullum Nielsen, Mathias & Börjeson, Love, 2019. "Gender diversity in the management field: Does it matter for research outcomes?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(7), pages 1617-1632.
    8. Hamid Bouabid, 2014. "Science and technology metrics for research policy evaluation: some insights from a Moroccan experience," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 101(1), pages 899-915, October.
    9. Cabeza-Pullés, Dainelis & Fernández-Pérez, Virginia & Roldán-Bravo, María Isabel, 2020. "Internal networking and innovation ambidexterity: The mediating role of knowledge management processes in university research," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 450-461.
    10. Adrián A Díaz-Faes & Paula Otero-Hermida & Müge Ozman & Pablo D’Este, 2020. "Do women in science form more diverse research networks than men? An analysis of Spanish biomedical scientists," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, August.
    11. Shen, Hongquan & Xie, Juan & Ao, Weiyi & Cheng, Ying, 2022. "The continuity and citation impact of scientific collaboration with different gender composition," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1).
    12. Shen, Hongquan & Cheng, Ying & Ju, Xiufang & Xie, Juan, 2022. "Rethinking the effect of inter-gender collaboration on research performance for scholars," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 16(4).

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