Do Researchers Benefit Career-wise from Involvement in International Policy Guideline Development?

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Tomokiyo, Yuta, Nishimoto, Keita, Asatani, Kimitaka, Sakata, Ichiro
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Tomokiyo, Yuta
Nishimoto, Keita
Asatani, Kimitaka
Sakata, Ichiro
author_facet Tomokiyo, Yuta
Nishimoto, Keita
Asatani, Kimitaka
Sakata, Ichiro
contents Researchers are no longer limited to producing knowledge; in today's complex world, they also address societal challenges by engaging in policymaking. Although involvement in policymaking has expanded, direct empirical evidence of its career benefits remains underexplored. Prior survey-based studies suggest potential advantages-such as broader professional networks and enhanced opportunities-yet raise concerns about insufficient institutional support. Here, we examine the 2021 WHO global air quality guideline-a science-based regulatory guideline-as a case study. To evaluate the impact of guideline development on research outcomes, we match guideline researchers with a control group of peers sharing similar research topics and prior performance. Our analysis reveals that guideline researchers attain higher future citation counts in both academic and policy domains. New collaborations formed during development yield publications with higher citation impact and the disruptive index. Moreover, about half the guideline's references are derived from guideline researchers' papers, highlighting their central role in shaping the evidence base. These results provide empirical support for the career benefits of policy engagement. Our findings indicate that engaging in international guideline development offers tangible career incentives for researchers, and that institutions can enhance research impact and promote innovative scientific progress by actively supporting their researchers' participation in such initiatives.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_22584
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Do Researchers Benefit Career-wise from Involvement in International Policy Guideline Development?
Tomokiyo, Yuta
Nishimoto, Keita
Asatani, Kimitaka
Sakata, Ichiro
Social and Information Networks
Researchers are no longer limited to producing knowledge; in today's complex world, they also address societal challenges by engaging in policymaking. Although involvement in policymaking has expanded, direct empirical evidence of its career benefits remains underexplored. Prior survey-based studies suggest potential advantages-such as broader professional networks and enhanced opportunities-yet raise concerns about insufficient institutional support. Here, we examine the 2021 WHO global air quality guideline-a science-based regulatory guideline-as a case study. To evaluate the impact of guideline development on research outcomes, we match guideline researchers with a control group of peers sharing similar research topics and prior performance. Our analysis reveals that guideline researchers attain higher future citation counts in both academic and policy domains. New collaborations formed during development yield publications with higher citation impact and the disruptive index. Moreover, about half the guideline's references are derived from guideline researchers' papers, highlighting their central role in shaping the evidence base. These results provide empirical support for the career benefits of policy engagement. Our findings indicate that engaging in international guideline development offers tangible career incentives for researchers, and that institutions can enhance research impact and promote innovative scientific progress by actively supporting their researchers' participation in such initiatives.
title Do Researchers Benefit Career-wise from Involvement in International Policy Guideline Development?
topic Social and Information Networks
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.22584