The link between ethnic diversity and scientific impact: the mediating effect of novelty and audience diversity

Jielan Ding, Zhesi Shen, Per Ahlgren (), Tobias Jeppsson, David Minguillo and Johan Lyhagen
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Jielan Ding: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhesi Shen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Per Ahlgren: Uppsala University
Tobias Jeppsson: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
David Minguillo: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Johan Lyhagen: Uppsala University

Scientometrics, 2021, vol. 126, issue 9, No 19, 7759-7810

Abstract: Abstract Understanding the nature and value of scientific collaboration is essential for sound management and proactive research policies. One component of collaboration is the composition and diversity of contributing authors. This study explores how ethnic diversity in scientific collaboration affects scientific impact, by presenting a conceptual model to connect ethnic diversity, based on author names, with scientific impact, assuming novelty and audience diversity as mediators. The model also controls for affiliated country diversity and affiliated country size. Using path modeling, we apply the model to the Web of Science subject categories Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, Ecology and Information Science & Library. For all three subject categories, and regardless of if control variables are considered or not, we find a weak positive relationship between ethnic diversity and scientific impact. The relationship is weaker, however, when control variables are included. For all three fields, the mediated effect through audience diversity is substantially stronger than the mediated effect through novelty in the relationship, and the former effect is much stronger than the direct effect between the ethnic diversity and scientific impact. Our findings further suggest that ethnic diversity is more associated with short-term scientific impact compared to long-term scientific impact.

Keywords: Ethnic diversity; Scientific impact; Audience diversity; Novelty; International collaboration; Path modeling; Co-authorship diversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-021-04071-1

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