The Science of Science

This is the first comprehensive overview of the exciting field of the 'science of science'.

Dashun Wang (Author), Albert-László Barabási (Author)

9781108716956, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 25 March 2021

308 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.52 kg

'… a text that should appeal to practicing scientists curious about the structure of the whole scientific enterprise, academic administrators and policy makers interested in evidence-based decision-making, and researchers interested in contributing further to the "science of science." There is no better, handier, and more readable work to appeal to such audiences … Highly recommended.' M. Oromaner, Choice Connect

This is the first comprehensive overview of the 'science of science,' an emerging interdisciplinary field that relies on big data to unveil the reproducible patterns that govern individual scientific careers and the workings of science. It explores the roots of scientific impact, the role of productivity and creativity, when and what kind of collaborations are effective, the impact of failure and success in a scientific career, and what metrics can tell us about the fundamental workings of science. The book relies on data to draw actionable insights, which can be applied by individuals to further their career or decision makers to enhance the role of science in society. With anecdotes and detailed, easy-to-follow explanations of the research, this book is accessible to all scientists and graduate students, policymakers, and administrators with an interest in the wider scientific enterprise.

Introduction
Part I. The Science of Career: 1. Productivity of a scientist
2. The H Index
3. The Matthew Effect
4. Age and Scientific Achievement
5. Random Impact Rule
6. The Q Factor
7. Hot Streaks
Part II. The Science of Collaboration: 8. The increasing dominance of teams in science
9. The Invisible College
10. Coauthorship Networks
11. Team Assembly
12. Small and large teams
13. Scientific Credit
14. Credit Allocation
Part III. The Science of Impact: 15. Big Science
16. Citation Disparity
17. High Impact Papers
18. Scientific Impact
19. The Time Dimension of Science
20. Ultimate Impact
Part IV. Outlook: 21. Can Science be Accelerated?
22. Artificial Intelligence
23. Bias and Causality in Science
Part V. Last thought
All the Science of Science: Appendix A1 Modeling team assembly
Appendix A2 Modeling Citations
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Data mining [UNF], Data capture & analysis [UNC], Algorithms & data structures [UMB], Physics [PH], Impact of science & technology on society [PDR], Science: general issues [PD], Data analysis: general [GPH]