Impact of academic title structure of university research teams on research output: evidence from 30 Chinese universities

China's innovation-driven development strategy prioritizes university research output. Prior research demonstrates a significant contribution of academic titles to research output, exceeding the influence of factors like salary and research collaboration. This study builds upon this foundation by exploring the underlying mechanisms through which academic title structure influences research productivity. Existing research can be categorized into three areas: the impact of individual academic titles on research output, the influence of the overall title structure within a university, and the mediating role of research resources in this relationship. While previous studies have established a positive correlation between academic title and research output, and highlighted the role of research resources, the potential mediating role of social contribution remains under-investigated. This paper addresses this gap by investigating the impact of academic title structure on research output, focusing on the mediating roles of social contribution and research resources. Specifically, it examines how different academic title proportions (national-level talents, senior titles, and associate senior titles) influence research output and explores the independent and chain mediating effects of social contribution and research resources. The study uses panel data from the materials science and engineering disciplines of 30 Chinese universities from 2016 to 2020, chosen for their research focus and the presence of national-level research talents in their academic structures. This selection allows for a robust analysis of the research questions.

The existing literature on the relationship between academic titles and research output falls into three categories. The first examines the impact of individual academic titles on individual researchers' productivity, consistently revealing a positive correlation between higher titles and greater output. The second category focuses on the university-level impact of the proportion of different academic titles, suggesting a positive relationship between a favorable title structure and overall university research output. The third category explores the mechanisms by which academic titles impact research output, primarily focusing on the mediating role of research resources such as funding and projects. Senior-titled scholars, possessing significant human and social capital, are more likely to attract these resources. However, research on the function mechanism remains insufficient, focusing mostly on single pathways of research resource acquisition. This study extends the existing literature by considering the under-explored role of social contribution as both an independent mediating factor and a component of a chain mediating effect through research resources. While previous studies have touched upon the importance of social contribution to university development, empirical evidence directly linking it to the academic title structure and research output is limited. This study aims to fill this gap by considering the dual mediating role of social contribution in a comprehensive model.

This study employed a fixed-effects model to analyze panel data from the materials science and engineering disciplines of 30 Chinese universities from 2016 to 2020. The dependent variable was research output, measured by the number of published SCI papers. The independent variable was the academic title structure, represented by the proportion of national-level talents, senior titles, and associate senior titles among full-time teachers. Social contribution and research resources were selected as mediating variables. Social contribution was measured by the number of scientific research awards at the provincial level and above. Research resources were a composite indicator, equally weighted from the number of research platforms at the provincial level and above, the number of projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and the annual research funds received. Control variables included university level, university location province, number of postgraduates, and total number of full-time teachers. A fixed-effects model, incorporating year, province, and university level fixed effects, was used to account for potential confounding factors. To test the chain mediating effect of social contribution and research resources, the study followed a sequential testing method, involving four regression equations to assess the direct and indirect effects of academic title structure on research output. The analysis was conducted using Stata software.

The empirical analysis yielded the following key findings: 1. The proportion of national-level talents and senior titles significantly and positively influenced research output, while the proportion of associate senior titles showed an insignificant negative correlation. This finding supports the hypothesis that the positive impact of academic title structure on research output decreases with decreasing title seniority. 2. Both national-level talents and senior titles positively impacted research output through both the independent and chain mediating effects of social contribution and research resources. National-level talents demonstrated a stronger capacity to generate social contributions and acquire research resources compared to senior title holders. The indirect effects through social contribution and research resources constituted a substantial proportion of the total effect, highlighting the importance of these mediating factors. 3. Social contribution proved more effective than research resources in enhancing research output, suggesting that universities should prioritize social impact in their research evaluation and promotion processes. The indirect effects accounted for 31.99% and 23.43% of the total effects for national-level talents and senior titles, respectively. The impact of national-level talents on social contribution and research resources was substantially greater than that of senior titles, indicating the high-impact role of top-tier talent in resource acquisition and societal influence. Social contribution's direct impact on research output exceeded that of research resources, suggesting a focus on societal contributions for resource acquisition and output enhancement.

The findings of this study directly address the research questions concerning the influence of academic title structure on research output and the mediating roles of social contribution and research resources. The results confirm the significant positive impact of higher academic titles, particularly national-level talents, on research productivity. The confirmation of the mediating roles of social contribution and research resources highlights the importance of considering these factors in research evaluation and talent management. The stronger influence of social contribution compared to research resources offers valuable insights for policy recommendations. The findings resonate with previous studies demonstrating the positive link between academic titles and research output, while adding significant nuance by uncovering the mediating mechanisms involved. This study bridges a gap in the literature by providing empirical evidence for the significant mediating role of social contribution in this relationship. The detailed decomposition of the effect pathways offers a refined understanding of how academic title structure influences research output through its impact on social contribution and resource acquisition.

This study demonstrates a strong positive correlation between the proportion of national-level talents and senior titles and research output in Chinese universities, while showing an insignificant negative correlation for associate senior titles. The mediating roles of social contribution and research resources are established, with social contribution exhibiting a stronger influence on research output. This research highlights the importance of developing effective policies to attract and support top talent, provide enhanced support for associate senior title holders, and establish research evaluation systems that prioritize social impact. Future research could expand the sample to include a broader range of disciplines and universities, explore the issue of reverse causality, and investigate the long-term effects of these factors on research outcomes.

While this study provides valuable insights, several limitations should be acknowledged. The sample is confined to the materials science and engineering discipline in 30 Chinese universities, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings to other disciplines or national contexts. The potential for reverse causality, where universities with stronger research foundations attract higher-ranked researchers, is not fully addressed. Future studies should consider more diverse samples and address reverse causality to enhance the robustness of the findings.