RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Edge Factors: Scientific Frontier Positions of Nations
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 246264
DO 10.1101/246264
A1 Mikko Packalen
YR 2018
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/01/10/246264.abstract
AB A key decision in scientific work is whether to build on novel or well-established ideas. Because exploiting new ideas is often harder than more conventional science, novel work can be especially dependent on interactions with colleagues, the training environment, and ready access to potential collaborators. Location may thus influence the tendency to pursue work that is close to the edge of the scientific frontier in the sense that it builds on recent ideas. We calculate for each nation its position relative to the edge of the scientific frontier by measuring its propensity to build on relatively new ideas in biomedical research. Text analysis of 20+ million publications shows that the United States and South Korea have the highest tendencies for novel science. China has become a leader in favoring newer ideas when working with basic science ideas and research tools, but is still slow to adopt new clinical ideas. Many locations remain far behind the leaders in terms of their tendency to work with novel ideas, indicating that the world is far from flat in this regard.One-Sentence Summary A new measure of scientific production that measures the tendency to work with new ideas indicates that in biomedicine the United States is closest to the edge of the scientific frontier and that South Korea and China have caught up with the leader on some dimensions, which stands in stark contrast with results from comparisons that focus instead on scientific impact.