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Exploring social integration as a determinant of research activity, performance and prestige of scientists. Empirical evidence in the Biology and Biomedicine field

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore to what extent social integration influences scientists’ research activity and performance. Data were obtained from a survey of researchers ascribed to the Biology and Biomedicine area of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research, as well as from their curricula vitae. The results provide empirical evidence that researchers who were highly integrated within their teams performed better than their less integrated colleagues in aspects of research activity such as collaboration with the private sector, patenting, participation in domestic funded research and development projects, and supervision of doctoral dissertations. Nevertheless, highly integrated researchers did not seem to be more prestigious than less integrated colleagues, nor did the former’s publications have a higher impact.

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Correspondence to Jesús Rey-Rocha.

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Rey-Rocha, J., Garzón-García, B. & José Martín-Sempere, M. Exploring social integration as a determinant of research activity, performance and prestige of scientists. Empirical evidence in the Biology and Biomedicine field. Scientometrics 72, 59–80 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-007-1703-2

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