How does size matter for science? Exploring the effects of research unit size on academics' scientific productivity and information exchange behaviors

The bureaucratization of science

“…There is also contrary evidence showing a negative relationship between size and productivity (Bonaccorsi and Daraio, 2005;Carayol and Matt, 2004;Mairesse and Turner, 2005). Horta and Lacy (2011) find a positive relationship between research unit size and international publications, but a negative relationship between size and national publications, and no relation between size and overall productivity.…”

Efficiency and economies of scale and specialization in European universities: A directional distance approach

“…More recently, Carayol and Matt (2006) have stressed that it is not size per se but the adoption of policies for the recruitment of high quality researchers that make a difference. Horta and Lacy (2011) have found that researchers in larger research units have indeed a larger network of scientific contacts and tend to publish more at the international level. Combining the two production processes, a summary of findings from Brinkman and Leslie (1986) is that economies of scale in higher education are pervasive, although they tend to be exhausted at a relatively small scale, in the order of 1000 full time equivalent (FTE) students.…”

The Impact of Publishing During PhD Studies on Career Research Publication, Visibility, and Collaborations

“…In hiring a scientist who has recently obtained a PhD from a reputed university, the hiring university has potential access to the scientific networks of the reputed university and its scholars (Shin and Jang 2013). The adoption of institutional credentials is thus sensible from the standpoint that the ability of scientists-junior and senior-to publish is influenced by environmental and organizational characteristics (Horta and Lacy 2011;Reskin 1977).…”