# Integrated clinical research ensembles: A pathway to increased academic productivity

## TL;DR

This study shows that funding team-based research groups boosts faculty publication and citation rates, increasing academic productivity.

## Contribution

Demonstrates that structured team science models like ICREs significantly enhance academic output and influence.

## Key findings

- ICRE faculty had 87% higher monthly publication rates than non-ICRE faculty before joining teams.
- ICRE funding led to a 72% increase in monthly publication rates and a 150% rise in impact factor-adjusted citations.
- Faculty in ICREs were already more productive, suggesting self-selection into team science.

## Abstract

The study objective was to evaluate whether the formation and funding of team
science-guided Integrated Clinical Research Ensembles (ICREs) enhance individual faculty
productivity, measured by publication and impact factor adjusted citation rates. The
setting was a multi-institutional NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award-supported
hub.

Monthly faculty publication and impact factor adjusted citation rates were analyzed
using data extracted from the hub-managed Faculty Collaboration Database (FCD). The FCD
imports indexed publications for all faculty members across four academic institutions,
drawing from PubMed and faculty curriculum vitae. Monthly publication counts were
modeled using Poisson regression, fitted using generalized estimating equations to
account for clustering of observed monthly publication rates of individual faculty.
Publication rates were compared before and after ICRE formation and funding, and between
faculty in and outside ICREs.

Before joining ensemble teams, ICRE faculty had an 87% higher monthly publication rate
than non-ICRE faculty. As ICREs were funded, the monthly publication rate increased an
average 72% compared to baseline levels and future citation rates determined by journal
impact factors increased by 150%.

Faculty publication and citation rates significantly increased following ICRE funding,
demonstrating the potential of structured team science models to boost academic
productivity and influence. Faculty inclined to participate in team science through
formalized ICREs were already among the more productive faculty.