Dynamics of Russian and World Science through the Prism of International Publications

Abstract

Maxim Kotsemir — Junior Research Fellow, Research Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University «Higher School of Economics». Address: National Research University «Higher School of Economics», 20 Myasnitskaya str., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation. E-mail: mkotsemir@hse.ru

This paper analyses publication activities of scientists in Russia and selected other countries for a cross-country comparison of their integration into the global scientific community. It adds to the literature assessing global, regional and national trends in knowledge production to help policy makers develop a more flexible and  effective science policy.

It provides an overview of the dynamics of main indicators of scientific publications and their citation in Russia and leading countries over the period 1995–2010. Based on this analysis, the author estimates Russia’s position within the global scientific community. The data are drawn from Scopus and the Web of Science databases. For Russia, the focus is on publication activity in specific areas of science, identified as specializations. In particular, the level of citation of the most highly Russian publications is noted. Also, the paper focuses on the integration of Russian researchers in the international scientific community, as measured by the number of publications co-authored with foreign researchers. Finally, it reviews the methodological approaches of the evaluation of citations, focusing on resulting problems which require further investigations.

The analysis shows that Russia has lost more international status in scientific publishing activity than other countries of the studied sample. At the same time the other BRIC nations as well as some other developing Asian countries have significantly improved their international positioning in this regard.