ABS: Feist, Quantity, Quality, and Dept of Research as Influences on Scientific Eminence? Is Quantity Most Important?

[Gretchen Whitney]

Fiest's email address is: gjfeis at wm.edu.

PT J
AU Feist, GJ
TI Quantity, quality, and depth of research as influences on
   scientific eminence: Is quantity most important?
SO CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL
C1 Coll William & Mary, Dept Psychol, POB 8795, Williamsburg, VA
   23187 USA.
   Coll William & Mary, Dept Psychol, Williamsburg, VA 23187 USA.
ID PRODUCTIVITY; PSYCHOLOGY; CAREER
AB There can be little doubt that in decisions of academic hiring,
   tenure, and the awarding of grant support the evaluation of
   quantity and quality of publication plays a major role.
   However, the question remains as to which matters more,
   quantity or quality. Furthermore, does quantity predict
   quality, and does publishing deeply rather than broadly predict
   scientific recognition? These questions were addressed by
   collecting publication (quantity) and citation (quality/impact)
   data on a relatively elite sample of 99 physicists, chemists,
   and biologists from major American research universities.
   Quantity and impact of research were positively related, and
   although both predicted global eminence, quantity accounted for
   37% more variance once impact was statistically controlled.
   Zero-order correlations suggested that publishing deeply rather
   than broadly predicted global eminence, and yet holding
   quantity of publication constant resulted in a nonsignificant
   relation between depth and eminence. In short, the correlation
   between depth of research and eminence was spurious. These
   results suggest that, at least among a relatively elite group
   of scientists, an interaction exists between quality and
   eminence, depending on level of quantity. For those scientists
   who produce large quantities of work, impact of publication has
   little to no effect on eminence. However, for those scientists
   who produce relatively few works, impact of publication does
   predict higher levels of eminence.
BP 325
EP 335
PG 11
JI Creativ. Res. J.
PY 1997
VL 10
IS 4
GA YQ809
RP Feist GJ
   Coll William & Mary, Dept Psychol, POB 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 USA.
J9 CREATIVITY RES J
UT ISI:000071425300004
ER

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