Untangling the network effects of productivity and prominence among scientists

This paper investigates the impact of collaboration networks on the productivity and prominence of scientists, addressing inequalities in science by analyzing network effects. The study uses models to disentangle individual contributions from network influences, revealing that gender differences in mid-career researchers' productivity and prominence are largely explained by differences in coauthorship networks. Collaboration networks act as social capital, transferable from senior to junior collaborators, though the benefits diminish with time. Institutional prestige also plays a significant role, with researchers at prestigious institutions showing productivity and prominence advantages explained by their networks. The findings highlight the substantial role of social networks in driving inequalities and suggest that collaboration networks represent unequally distributed social capital influencing scientific discoveries.

Weihua Li, Sam Zhang, Zhiming Zheng, Skyler J. Cranmer, Aaron Clauset