1 research outputs found
Quantity versus quality in publication activity: knowledge production at the regional level
This study contributes to the ongoing debate regarding the balance between
quality and quantity in research productivity and publication activity. Using
empirical regional knowledge production functions, we establish a significant
correlation between R&D spending and research output, specifically publication
productivity, while controlling for patenting activity and socioeconomic
factors. Our focus is on the dilemma of research quantity versus quality, which
is analysed in the context of regional thematic specialization using spatial
lags. When designing policies and making forecasts, it is important to consider
the quality of research measured by established indicators. In this study, we
examine the dual effect of research quality on publication activity. We
identify two groups of quality factors: those related to the quality of
journals and those related to the impact of publications. On average, these
factors have different influences on quantitative measures. The quality of
journals shows a negative relationship with quantity, indicating that as
journal quality increases, the number of publications decreases. On the other
hand, the impact of publications can be approximated by an inverse parabolic
shape, with a positive decreasing slope within a common range of values. This
duality in the relationship between quality factors and quantitative measures
may explain some of the significant variations in conclusions found in the
literature. We compare several models that explore factors influencing
publication activity using a balanced panel dataset of Russian regions from
2009 to 2021. Additionally, we propose a novel approach using thematic
scientometric parameters as a special type of proximity measure between regions
in thematic space. Incorporating spatial spillovers in thematic space allows us
to account for potential cross-sectional dependence in regional data