Scientific civility and academic performance

Abstract

In modern science, interdisciplinary and collaborative research is encouraged among scientists to solve complex problems. However, when the time comes to measure an individuals academic productivity, collaborative efforts are hard to conceptualize and quantify. In this study, we hypothesized that a social behavior coined "scientific civility", which encompasses civility, collaboration, cooperation, or a combination of these, enhances an individuals productivity influencing their academic performance. To facilitate recognition of this unique attribute within the scientific environment, we developed a new indicator: the C score. We examined publicly available data from 1000 academic scientists at the individual-level, focusing on their scholarly output and collaborative networks as a function of geographic distribution and time. Our findings strongly suggest that the C score gauges academic performance from an integral perspective based on a synergistic interaction between productivity and collaborative networks, prevailing over institutionally limited economic resources and minimizing inequalities related to the length of individuals academic career, field of investigation, and gender. Author SummaryThe increased connectivity between fields and specialties of science is undeniable. We propose a new indicator, the C score, to assess the value of collaborative efforts and research output to a scientists academic performance. This indicator reflects collaborative and interdisciplinary efforts and provides a measure of "scientific civility" and teamwork. The C score may be used as a decision-making tool to track career advancement within the academic environment. Along with other indicators such as the h index, the C score supports a more integrative and holistic assessment of an individuals academic performance.