A study on citation impact with age diversity among disciplines

Abstract

With the ongoing evolution of scientific research collaboration in depth and breadth, the age distribution among paper collaborators is becoming increasingly varied. The question of whether this age distribution affects the quality of collaborative papers has emerged as a significant topic in recent research. In this study, we have compiled a comprehensive scientific database comprising more than 3.5 million papers from over 180 countries. These papers include multiple attribute information about their authors. We define the age diversity of a paper based on the academic ages of its co-authors and examine the relationship between age diversity and citation impact using regression analyses. Our findings reveal a clear upward trend in the age diversity of authors over time. The results indicate that the average age diversity of highly cited papers is consistently higher than that of general papers across the entire timeline, spanning four disciplines: economics, engineering, computer science, and physics. Moreover, we demonstrate a significantly positive correlation between age diversity and citation impact. In the aforementioned four disciplines, an increase in the collaborators’ age diversity is associated with a corresponding rise in the paper’s citation impact. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of age-related dynamics in scientific collaboration. It also offers insights into the age distribution of research teams, providing practical suggestions for researchers engaged in collaborative endeavors.