Investigating different types of research collaboration and citation impact: a case study of Harvard University’s publications

This study aims to investigate the influence of different patterns of collaboration on the citation impact of Harvard University’s publications. Those documents published by researchers affiliated with Harvard University in WoS from 2000–2009, constituted the population of the research which was counted for 124,937 records. Based on the results, only 12% of Harvard publications were single author publications. Different patterns of collaboration were investigated in different subject fields. In all 22 examined fields, the number of co-authored publications is much higher than single author publications. In fact, more than 60% of all publications in each field are multi-author publications. Also, the normalized citation per paper for co-authored publications is higher than that of single author publications in all fields. In addition, the largest number of publications in all 22 fields were also published through inter-institutional collaboration and were as a result of collaboration among domestic researchers and not international ones. In general, the results of the study showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the number of authors and the number of citations in Harvard publications. In addition, publications with more number of institutions have received more number of citations, whereas publications with more number of foreign collaborators were not much highly cited.     

Scrutinizing the collaboration criterion in research: how do policy ambitions play out in proposals and assessments?

Based on a commission by one of the Swedish Research Council, which has high ambitions to strengthen the collaboration between academia and society, this study aimed to reveal how researchers describe the collaboration with partners outside the university in research proposals. Globally, collaboration is advocated to bridge research-practice gaps and address complex societal challenges. This study scrutinizes how the collaboration criterion was operationalized in all research proposals submitted to The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare in 2016. A content analysis of 381 proposals and related assessments was used to identify patterns and categories. Preliminary results were subjected to discussion in a workshop with 34 researchers representing granted proposals in the material, followed by further analysis. Comparisons were made between granted and rejected proposals. The applicants had made diverse interpretations of the collaboration criterion specified in the calls under which the proposals were submitted. The few that described theoretical underpinnings for collaborative approaches used a diversity of concepts but none of them frequently. Collaboration overlapped with other sections in the proposals. There is a need to develop theoretical awareness and conceptual clarity regarding collaboration and embed collaboration in research. In the context studied, collaboration with actors outside the university does not appear to be crucial for funding.

     

Flow and social relationships of knowledge in science, technology and innovation: A patentometric study of UNICAMP’s technological production

The object is to identify the flux of information and get to know the socio-spatial and socioinstitutional dimensions of knowledge in the process of innovation, and to be able to visualize the impact and cognitive relationships of the sources of information used in the production of patents, as well as interactions and social cooperation that exists between the local innovative agents of The State University of Campinas. The research is of an exploratory nature with a case study design, in order to find out, by means of patentometric indicators, the flow and social relations characterized by cognitive and institutional aspects of local and regional knowledge based on the production of the Institution’s patents.     

Deformable wing kinematics in the desert locust: how and why do camber,twist and topography vary through the stroke?

Here, we present a detailed analysis of the wing kinematics and wing deformations of desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria, Forskål) flying tethered in a wind tunnel. We filmed them using four high-speed digital video cameras, and used photogrammetry to reconstruct the motion of more than 100 identified points. Whereas the hindwing motions were highly stereotyped, the forewing motions showed considerable variation, consistent with a role in flight control. Both wings were positively cambered on the downstroke. The hindwing was cambered through an ‘umbrella effect’ whereby the trailing edge tension compressed the radial veins during the downstroke. Hindwing camber was reversed on the upstroke as the wing fan corrugated, reducing the projected area by 30 per cent, and releasing the tension in the trailing edge. Both the wings were strongly twisted from the root to the tip. The linear decrease in incidence along the hindwing on the downstroke precisely counteracts the linear increase in the angle of attack that would otherwise occur in root flapping for an untwisted wing. The consequent near-constant angle of attack is reminiscent of the optimum for a propeller of constant aerofoil section, wherein a linear twist distribution allows each section to operate at the unique angle of attack maximizing the lift to drag ratio. This implies tuning of the structural, morphological and kinematic parameters of the hindwing for efficient aerodynamic force production.