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Do two wrongs make a right? Measuring the effect of publications on science careers

Author

Listed:
  • Donna K. Ginther

    (University of Kansas
    National Bureau of Economic Research)

  • Carlos Zambrana

    (University of Kansas)

  • Patricia Oslund

    (University of Kansas)

  • Wan-Ying Chang

    (National Science Foundation)

Abstract

This paper examines whether publication data matched to the Survey of Doctorate Recipients can be used for research purposes. We use Gold Standard data created to validate the publication match quality and compare these measures to publications assigned by a machine-learning algorithm developed by Thomson Reuters (now Clarivate). Our econometric model demonstrates that publications likely suffer from non-classical measurement error. Using horse race and instrumental variable models, we confirm that the Gold Standard data are relatively free from measurement error but show that the Clarivate data suffer from non-classical measurement error. We employ a variety of methods to adjust the Clarivate data for false negatives and false positives and demonstrate that with these adjustments the data produce estimates very similar to the Gold Standard. However, these adjustments are not as useful when publications are used as a dependent variable. We recommend using subsamples of the data that have better match quality when using the Clarivate data as a dependent variable.

Suggested Citation

  • Donna K. Ginther & Carlos Zambrana & Patricia Oslund & Wan-Ying Chang, 2024. "Do two wrongs make a right? Measuring the effect of publications on science careers," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(1), pages 289-320, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:129:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-023-04849-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-023-04849-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aigner, Dennis J., 1973. "Regression with a binary independent variable subject to errors of observation," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 49-59, March.
    2. Donna K Ginther & Jodi Basner & Unni Jensen & Joshua Schnell & Raynard Kington & Walter T Schaffer, 2018. "Publications as predictors of racial and ethnic differences in NIH research awards," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(11), pages 1-24, November.
    3. Xuan Jiang & Wan-Ying Chang & Bruce A Weinberg, 2021. "Man versus machine? Self-reports versus algorithmic measurement of publications," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-22, September.
    4. Bollinger, Christopher R., 1996. "Bounding mean regressions when a binary regressor is mismeasured," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2), pages 387-399, August.
    5. AIGNER, Dennis J., 1973. "Regression with a binary independent variable subject to errors of observation," LIDAM Reprints CORE 130, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Measurement error; Publications; Science;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • J4 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets
    • C26 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Instrumental Variables (IV) Estimation

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