Measuring and Visualizing Research Collaboration and Productivity

摘要

Purpose: This paper presents findings of a quasi-experimental assessment to gauge theresearch productivity and degree of interdisciplinarity of research center outputs. Of specialinterest, we share an enriched visualization of research co-authoring patterns.Design/methodology/approach: We compile publications by 45 researchers in each of 1) theiUTAH project, which we consider here to be analogous to a “research center,” 2) CG1— acomparison group of participants in two other Utah environmental research centers, and 3)CG2—a comparison group of Utah university environmental researchers not associated witha research center. We draw bibliometric data from Web of Science and from Google Scholar.We gather publications for a period before iUTAH had been established (2010–2012) and aperiod after (2014–2016). We compare these research outputs in terms of publications andcitations thereto. We also measure interdisciplinarity using Integration scoring and generatescience overlay maps to locate the research publications across disciplines.Findings: We find that participation in the iUTAH project appears to increase researchoutputs (publications in the After period) and increase research citation rates relative tothe comparison group researchers (although CG1 research remains most cited, as it was in theBefore period). Most notably, participation in iUTAH markedly increases co-authoring amongresearchers—in general; and for junior, as well as senior, faculty; for men and women: acrossorganizations; and across disciplines.Research limitations: The quasi-experimental design necessarily generates suggestive, notdefinitively causal, findings because of the imperfect controls.Practical implications: This study demonstrates a viable approach for research assessmentof a center or program for which random assignment of control groups is not possible. Itillustrates use of bibliometric indicators to inform R&D program management.Originality/value: New visualizations of researcher collaboration provide compellingcomparisons of the extent and nature of social networking among target cohorts.