27 research outputs found
The effects of aging of scientists on their publication and citation patterns
The average age at which U.S. researchers get their first grant from NIH has
increased from 34.3 in 1970, to 41.7 in 2004. These data raise the crucial
question of the effects of aging on the scientific creativity and productivity
of researchers. Those who worry about the aging of scientists usually believe
that the younger they are the more creative and productive they will be. Using
a large population of 13,680 university professors in Quebec, we show that,
while scientific productivity rises sharply between 28 and 40, it increases at
a slower pace between 41 and 50 and stabilizes afterward until retirement for
the most active researchers. The average scientific impact per paper decreases
linearly until 50-55 years old, but the average number of papers in highly
cited journals and among highly cited papers rises continuously until
retirement. Our results clearly show for the first time the natural history of
the scientific productivity of scientists over their entire career and bring to
light the fact that researchers over 55 still contribute significantly to the
scientific community by producing high impact papers.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Crowdsourced science: sociotechnical epistemology in the e-research paradigm
Recent years have seen a surge in online collaboration between experts
and amateurs on scientific research. In this article, we analyse the epistemological implications of these crowdsourced projects, with a focus on Zooniverse, the
world’s largest citizen science web portal. We use quantitative methods to evaluate
the platform’s success in producing large volumes of observation statements and high
impact scientific discoveries relative to more conventional means of data processing. Through empirical evidence, Bayesian reasoning, and conceptual analysis, we
show how information and communication technologies enhance the reliability, scalability, and connectivity of crowdsourced e-research, giving online citizen science
projects powerful epistemic advantages over more traditional modes of scientific
investigation. These results highlight the essential role played by technologically
mediated social interaction in contemporary knowledge production. We conclude by
calling for an explicitly sociotechnical turn in the philosophy of science that combines insights from statistics and logic to analyse the latest developments in scientific
research
Micronutrient needs of tropical food crops
The trace element requirements of tropical crops are reviewed with special reference to their role, the differences between crop species, the differences between cultivars, paths of trace element uptake, effects of climate, the importance of crop management and yield levels
Emergent behavior of growing knowledge about molecular interactions
In the time of Isaac Newton (1643–1727), a prominent scientist could follow advances in multiple fields of knowledge—as far apart from each other as mathematics, astronomy, physics, history and theology. It took a talent of Newton's caliber, of course, to contribute to several of them during one lifetime. Today, with thousands of biomedical journals published in English alone, even Sir Isaac would not have the luxury of systematically following all that happens in biology, let alone in multiple research fields. Currently, millions of active biomedical researchers are scattered around the globe, most focusing on a small fragment of the enormous biological universe. Consequently, knowledge acquisition and validation by scientific communities is bound to have large-scale properties that are normally hidden from individual scientists. These large-scale properties would reveal themselves only at the level of a meta-analysis of large volumes of data produced by numerous scientists. The practical importance of such meta-analyses—besides satisfying academic curiosity—lies in their potential for indicating hidden opportunities lurking in the currently accessible knowledge