Participation in university-based research centers: Is it helping or hurting researchers?

    Authors

    M. Sabharwal;Q. Hu

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Res. Policy

    Keywords

    University research center; Research productivity; Collaboration; Career; trajectory; Multidisciplinary; CV analysis; RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY; PUBLICATION PRODUCTIVITY; RESEARCH COLLABORATION; CURRICULUM-VITAE; SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTIVITY; MEDICAL-SCHOOLS; UNITED-STATES; TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS; ACADEMIC RESEARCH; SOCIAL-SCIENCES; Management; Planning & Development

    Abstract

    In general, affiliation with a university research center is considered to be an activity that can improve the research activities of scientists and academics. Yet there have only been a few studies examining whether research centers are positive institutional structures for individual researchers. Our research examines how affiliation with a research center in the United States can impact research productivity, collaboration, and careers of faculty members in the multidisciplinary field of learning sciences. This study utilizes data from a curriculum vitae (CV) analysis of 402 faculty members who are currently employed at research universities. The results indicate that, on average, the research productivity of faculty members affiliated with a research center is higher than non-center affiliated faculty members. The effects, however, disappear when controlling for factors such as years since Ph.D., gender, post-doctoral status, quality of publications, and quantity of other research outputs. Senior tenured faculty members appear to benefit greatly from affiliation with a research center, while center affiliation does not positively correlate with the productivity of junior faculty members. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

    Journal Title

    Research Policy

    Volume

    42

    Issue/Number

    6-7

    Publication Date

    1-1-2013

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    1301

    Last Page

    1311

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000321604200013

    ISSN

    0048-7333

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