The relationship between the number of editorial board members and the scientific output of universities in the chemistry field

TL;DR

This study investigates the correlation and potential causal relationship between the number of editorial board members and the scientific output of universities in chemistry, using quantitative methods and qualitative interviews.

Contribution

It applies quantile regression and Granger causality tests to analyze the relationship, providing new insights into editorial influence on university scientific productivity.

Findings

Number of editorial board members is positively related to scientific output.

Causal relationship between editorial board size and publication output is not clearly established.

Qualitative interviews offer contextual understanding of editorial influence.

Abstract

Editorial board members, who are considered the gatekeepers of scientific journals, play an important role in academia, and may directly or indirectly affect the scientific output of a university. In this article, we used the quantile regression method among a sample of 1,387 university in chemistry to characterize the correlation between the number of editorial board members and the scientific output of their universities. Furthermore, we used time-series data and the Granger causality test to explore the causal relationship between the number of editorial board members and the number of articles of some top universities. Our results suggest that the number of editorial board members is positively and significantly related to the scientific output (as measured by the number of articles, total number of citations, citations per paper, and h index) of their universities. However, the Granger causality test results suggest that the causal relationship between the number of editorial board members and the number of articles of some top universities is not obvious. Combining these findings with the results of qualitative interviews with editorial board members, we discuss the causal relationship between the number of editorial board members and the scientific output of their universities.