Previous quantitative studies have focused on the relationship between individual differences and the impact of the prize-winning work of Nobel laureates. However, less is known about the patterns in the entire careers of the most prestigious scientists. Li et al. (2020)’s work filled this literature gap by quantifying the distinguished scientists’ career history, and comparing them with those of non-Nobel laureate scientists.  

To conduct this study, Li et al. (2020) gathered Nobel laureates and a group of “ordinary” scientists in the same field to compare and contrast the patterns they had throughout their careers such as productivity, authorship, collaboration, and impact. To measure the scientific impact, the researchers calculated the number of citations each article received after 10 years as a proxy for the article’s effect in order to detect if the laureates’ had a greater impact than the ordinary scientists. The results of this study suggested that the elite scientists and the ordinary scientists had very similar patterns before they won the Nobel prize, consisting of the increasing dependence on teamwork and the consistency of successful works. Moreover, the researchers identified the variations during the laureates’ careers that differentiate them from ordinary scientists and contribute to their Nobel prize win. This included the propensity towards less coauthorship and a higher tendency to claim the first authorship in award-winning publications, a higher productivity in the initial 5 years of their career, and a notable but temporary dip in their scientific impact after prize-winning. However, it is worth noting that such a dip did not affect the laureates’ average productivity. 

This study provides insights for future studies in exploring the characteristics of individual careers in various domains and also enhances our understanding of the patterns that determine successful careers in science.  The study also demonstrates a path and the steps to pursue exceptional careers for students who are choosing their future careers and scientists who are hoping to propel their current careers.  Additionally, Li et al. (2020)’s study connects to EPIC’s research by providing an example of successful scientists who consistently persisted before winning the Nobel prize and even after experiencing an exceptional dip in their careers.  

If you are interested in reading further about Li et al.’s study, check out the link to learn more about it. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2020.0135

This post was written by Eliza Hong. 

Reference:

Li, J., Yin, Y., Fortunato, S., & Wang, D. (2020). Scientific elite revisited: patterns of productivity, collaboration, authorship and impact. Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 17(165), 20200135. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2020.0135