IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/infome/v19y2025i3s1751157725000513.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the relationship between interdisciplinarity and scientific breakthrough speed: a study based on Nobel Prize-winning papers

Author

Listed:
  • Cheng, Deng
  • Xue, Zhang

Abstract

In the context of increasing interdisciplinary research trends, this study explores the relationship between interdisciplinarity and scientific breakthrough speed (SBS). We employ a “text topics-multiple disciplines” approach to quantify interdisciplinarity and utilize three indicators for measuring SBS: Highest degree to Significant contribution time (HSt), Significant contribution to Nobel Prize winning time (SNt), and Highest degree to Nobel Prize winning time (HNt). Focusing on Nobel laureates in the natural sciences from 1901 to 2023 and their Nobel Prize-winning research (NPw), we construct negative binomial regression models to analyze these variables. Our findings reveal that interdisciplinarity has no significant effect on HSt, but it significantly and positively affects SNt and HNt. This suggests that while interdisciplinary approaches do not delay the initial discovery process, they substantially extend the time required for scientific recognition and award. We also discuss the moderating role of Nobel Prize laureates’ imprint characteristics. Postdoctoral experience plays a negative moderating role in the above relationships, while the moderating effect of overseas experience is not significant.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheng, Deng & Xue, Zhang, 2025. "Exploring the relationship between interdisciplinarity and scientific breakthrough speed: a study based on Nobel Prize-winning papers," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:infome:v:19:y:2025:i:3:s1751157725000513
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joi.2025.101687
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751157725000513
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.joi.2025.101687?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:eee:infome:v:19:y:2025:i:3:s1751157725000513. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/joi .

    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.