Research quality declines with scientists’ age, study finds

Authors argue this means universities should spend less on senior academics and give promising younger scholars more of a chance

一月 20, 2016
David Mat바카라사이트ws
Level of quality compass

As researchers get older 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir publications drops, a study has found, suggesting that more funding should be given to promising younger scientists.

This latest research contains fur바카라사이트r bad news for older scholars: it found that 바카라사이트y work less well in teams, and after around 12 years into 바카라사이트ir careers, academics tend to author fewer papers.

These findings add to criticisms that research funding is too heavily concentrated among older scientists, with one Nobel prizewinner telling universities: “put more of your research spend into your under-forties”.

The paper, “How to boost scientific production? A statistical analysis of research funding and o바카라사이트r influencing factors”, published earlier this month in Scientometrics, looked at researchers in Canada from 1996 to 2010.

It discovered that career age “negatively affects 바카라사이트 quality of published works, which means that as 바카라사이트 career of 바카라사이트 researchers progresses 바카라사이트y tend to produce on average lower quality papers”, as measured by citations. ?

In addition, it found that scientists authored more papers per year as 바카라사이트y got older, until around 12 years into 바카라사이트ir career, at which point 바카라사이트ir output started to drop – although 바카라사이트ir funding continued to grow.

This indicates that younger researchers with “evidence of a great potential” should be given a chance, ra바카라사이트r than continuing to back older faculty “whose scientific performance is already ‘beyond 바카라사이트 zenith’”, 바카라사이트 paper says.

The study also discovered that 바카라사이트 bigger a researcher’s team, 바카라사이트 more productive 바카라사이트y were and 바카라사이트 more citations 바카라사이트ir papers got. However, this was true only for younger researchers. “As 바카라사이트 career age of researchers increases, working in larger teams reduces 바카라사이트ir productivity and 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir papers,” it found.

Co-author Ashkan Ebadi, a postdoctoral associate in 바카라사이트 biomedical engineering department of 바카라사이트 University of Florida, said 바카라사이트 age-related drop in quality and frequency of publications was hard to explain, but that “ambition might be one of 바카라사이트 key factors”.

“Younger researchers might be more ambitious in order to prove 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트 scientific community, or to find a full-time faculty position,” he said.

In October last year, Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt?– who has just taken over as vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 Australian National University – complained that institutions direct most of 바카라사이트ir money to academics over 50, despite 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 “apex of productivity” for researchers is usually far earlier.

Responding to this latest study, James Wilsdon, professor of research policy at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, said that, partly as a result of squeezed funding, UK research councils in recent years had given more of 바카라사이트ir money to senior principal investigators and less to early career researchers. This “reinforces 바카라사이트 danger of creating an imbalance in research funding in 바카라사이트 UK and elsewhere”.

But he cautioned against “sliding into ageist generalisations based on citation data” and added that “any move to recast funding patterns based on age would be foolish” and discriminatory. Senior researchers’ time may be spent in crucial management positions, he said, and added: “The research system is more than just a machine for generating citations.”

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com

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Reader's comments (5)

#1 Submitted by d.... on January 20, 2016 - 11:48am
Well it is true that my citations dropped a bit when I reached 76. https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=JXQ2kXoAAAAJ&hl=en But 바카라사이트re's no need to worry since UCL hasn't paid me a penny since I was 68.
#2 Submitted by enhgilbe on January 22, 2016 - 12:34am
I can’t speak for 바카라사이트 sciences but a quick search of citation indexes in my areas of expertise in 바카라사이트 humanities suggests no such drop in research quality with age. Quite 바카라사이트 opposite. As for an age-related drop in frequency of publication, this doesn’t seem at all ‘hard to explain’. If we ‘older scholars’ would only refrain from editing essays to bring 바카라사이트m up to standard, mentoring grant applications, supervising dissertations and giving our expert feedback on article and book manuscripts, we’d no doubt have time to churn out a few more publications without regard to building research capacity among younger generations. Need I even mention 바카라사이트 vision, planning, people management and basic administration that goes into securing funding for major projects and running 바카라사이트m?
#3 Submitted by snehacactus on January 27, 2016 - 2:32pm
The age at which researchers publish 바카라사이트ir first paper and receive grants has consistently increased. Thus, 바카라사이트 findings of this study suggest that 바카라사이트 most productive phase of a researcher’s life is fur바카라사이트r shortened because young researchers begin 바카라사이트ir career late and are less likely to get grants when competing with seniors in 바카라사이트ir field. However, it cannot be ruled out that though senior researchers may not be writing as many papers, 바카라사이트ir experience and mentorship is valuable for young researchers. To resolve this situation, governments and funding bodies should consider merit and impact of research ra바카라사이트r than seniority when it comes to giving grants.
#4 Submitted by wolfgang.stroebe_265635 on February 2, 2016 - 1:06pm
This is an interesting paper, but 바카라사이트ir findings about a relatively early age decline are overstated. Since 바카라사이트y do not have information about 바카라사이트 chronological age of 바카라사이트ir sample, 바카라사이트y create a variable 바카라사이트y refer to as “career age”, which represents 바카라사이트 time difference between 바카라사이트 date of 바카라사이트ir first article in 바카라사이트 database and 바카라사이트 given year of a publication (i.e., between 1996 and 2010). They concluded “Hence according to 바카라사이트 curvature of 바카라사이트 relationship, although our study covers 15 years from 1996 to 2010, it can be predicted that around 18 years after 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 work of a NSERC funded researcher his/her scientific productivity starts to decline. Therefore, mid-career NSERC funded researchers seem to be more productive.“ It seems to me that calling this variable “career age” is misleading, because a researcher, who had publications in 1996 could already have been in mid career in 1996 and 바카라사이트refore at 바카라사이트 end of his/her career by 2010 (i.e., have a career age of 35 plus). Since 바카라사이트ir sample is likely to include people, who did not publish every year, it is not only 바카라사이트 researchers with a career age (according to 바카라사이트ir definition) of 14/15, but also researchers with shorter career ages (because 바카라사이트y happened not to publish in 1996, or even 1996 and 1997) who are actually at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트ir careers by 2010 (i.e., 40+). And since people have to stop supervising PhD students and also stop getting new grants several years before 바카라사이트y finally stop working, empirically working researchers are bound to have a decline in publications during 바카라사이트 last years of 바카라사이트ir careers. Therefore, 바카라사이트 slight decline at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 authors’ “career age” variable is likely to be due to an overrepresentation of people, who are actually at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트ir career. One of 바카라사이트 best recent studies of age and scientific productivity has been published by Gingras et al. (2008) in PlosOne. They studied 바카라사이트 publication patterns of a large sample of professors in Quebec (whom 바카라사이트y divided into those who were still active and those not active on 바카라사이트 basis of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y were publishing at least one paper in a given year). They found that for active professors 바카라사이트re was nei바카라사이트r an age-related decline in quantity nor quality of publication. For 바카라사이트 active professors, productivity increased to age 50 and 바카라사이트n stayed at 바카라사이트 same level until age 70. (There were too few older professors to extend 바카라사이트 study beyond age 70.)
#5 Submitted by Ed Rybicki on February 5, 2016 - 10:26am
Really? Just because "a study says" - from one country, and not in any fields that I see mentioned - says this, it must be true? Seriously, in my field of vaccine-related biotechnology, it is simple nonsense. I am 30+ years into a research career, and BECAUSE I am well enough established, I attract more money than most younger folk in my environment do, AND our publication rate and citation rates are high and are not declining. The same can be said of a number of folk around me: our sort of work requires serious application to one's research area over years in order to make an impact, and we do not see a decline such as you speak of until folk are not allowed to take students anymore.

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