Seismic shifts in the global research landscape

Globalization’ is a term frequently used to describe the increasing interdependence of national economies around the world. While sometimes viewed negatively, globalization has had positive influence in the realm of scientific research. Such is the topic of the latest global research report from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)™ at Clarivate. The report, published in April, examines research trends in the United States over the past 25 years and considers the impact of globalization and collaboration. Drawing upon Web of Science™ data, the report also addresses the significant shift in the global science order since the start of the 21^st century and focuses on the balance of domestic and collaborative research and its policy implications. The report’s findings suggest that while the U.S. remains a leading science and technology hub, it faces increasing competition from new science-based economies in Asia and an expanded EU network.

In this episode, two authors of the report join as guests. Jonathan Adams is chief scientist at ISI, and in that capacity, supports the development of bibliometric and analytical approaches at Clarivate. Jonathan has published widely in scholarly journals and books and is a visiting professor at King’s College London. David Pendlebury is head of research analysis at ISI, based in Oregon in the U.S. Since 1983, David has used Web of Science data to study the structure and dynamics of research. He explores the citation database to analyze trends in science, important topics and researchers at the frontier of key and emerging research fields. Both Jonathan and David have deep expertise in bibliometrics, the ‘science of science.’ Their foundational work in citation analysis and research policy has benefited the scholarly community for many years.