Research Team Diversity and Scientific Output in Allergy and Immunology
Author Information
Author(s): Takeya Adachi, Norika Narimatsu, Yasushi Ogawa, Masako Toriya, Tamami Fukushi, Masashi Shirabe, Masaki Futamura, Takenori Inomata, Keigo Kainuma, Keiko Kan-o, Yosuke Kurashima, Katsunori Masaki, Saeko Nakajima, Masafumi Sakashita, Sakura Sato, Mayumi Tamari, Hideaki Morita, Amane Koizumi
Primary Institution: Keio University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
The study examines the relationship between the disciplinary diversity of research teams and research output in allergy and immunology programs.
Conclusion
The study found that team diversity positively correlates with research output in NIH- and MRC-funded programs, while specialization has a greater impact on research output in JSPS-funded programs.
Supporting Evidence
- Research output was positively correlated with team diversity in NIH- and MRC-funded programs.
- Specialization had a greater impact on research output in JSPS-funded programs.
- Diversity was measured using All Science Journal Classification codes counts, Shannon-Wiener index, and Omnidisciplinary index.
Takeaway
Having a mix of different experts in a research team can help produce more scientific papers, but in some cases, being really good at one thing might be even better.
Methodology
The study analyzed 1243, 3645, and 1468 articles funded by NIH, MRC, and JSPS, respectively, using various indices to measure team diversity and research output.
Limitations
The study does not establish causal relationships between team diversity and research output and focuses primarily on the number of fields represented in teams.
Participant Demographics
Research teams included 2-9 members from various institutions across Japan, the US, and the UK.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.641
Statistical Significance
p=0.641
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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