IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jemstr/v35y2026i3p437-474.html

Research Direction and Science Evaluation: The Role of Coherence and Alignment

Author

Listed:
  • Charles Ayoubi
  • Sandra Barbosu
  • Michele Pezzoni
  • Fabiana Visentin

Abstract

The decisions of funding agencies greatly influence the direction of scientific research; however, our understanding of how applicants' research directions affect the selection process remains limited. In this study, we investigate how a project's coherence with a scientist's previous work and its alignment with current scientific trends affect the probability of winning a renowned research fellowship. Employing a neural network algorithm to compute these indicators, we analyze the text of 2494 research projects proposed by scholars competing for the Sloan Research Fellowship, one of the most prestigious fellowships for early‐career researchers in North America. Our findings reveal notable differences across fields in the effect of coherence and alignment on the probability of being awarded, reflecting distinct organizational norms. For instance, applicants with coherent and aligned projects have higher chances of winning in life sciences & chemistry. In contrast, in physics, bibliometric measures such as the number of publications and citations outweigh research direction characteristics in the selection process. This study aims to offer valuable insights into the factors influencing scientific selection processes, exhibiting how they shape the research landscape for early‐career scientists across various academic fields.

Suggested Citation

  • Charles Ayoubi & Sandra Barbosu & Michele Pezzoni & Fabiana Visentin, 2026. "Research Direction and Science Evaluation: The Role of Coherence and Alignment," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(3), pages 437-474, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jemstr:v:35:y:2026:i:3:p:437-474
    DOI: 10.1111/jems.70009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jems.70009
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jems.70009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jemstr:v:35:y:2026:i:3:p:437-474. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/research/journals/JEMS/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.