Not Just Large: Tall Teams Dominate East Asia's Scientific Production

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Liu, Siyuan, Xie, Wenjin, Chen, Wenyu, Jia, Tao
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Liu, Siyuan
Xie, Wenjin
Chen, Wenyu
Jia, Tao
author_facet Liu, Siyuan
Xie, Wenjin
Chen, Wenyu
Jia, Tao
contents Purpose: This study compares the hierarchical structure of scientific teams across countries and investigates factors associated with the observed cross-national differences. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on 150,817 publications with author contribution statements, we focus on the 15 countries with the largest volume of scientific publications, examine cross-country variations in the proportion of tall teams, and analyze how this proportion correlates with other factors. Findings: Scientific output from East Asia is dominated by tall teams, which persist after controlling for team size, indicating that this pattern cannot be fully accounted for by the prevalence of larger teams in these countries. Cultural factors, measured by Power Distance, as well as the observed funding patterns of major basic science agencies, are associated with the dominance of tall teams in East Asia. Research limitations: This study is limited by its reliance on publications with author contribution statements, which may introduce selection bias; its focus on cultural and funding factors, while leaving other institutional contexts unexamined; and its use of a leadership concentration measure that does not capture other dimensions of hierarchy. Practical implications: Understanding cross-national differences in research team structures and their associated cultural and institutional factors can inform science policy and team management. Originality/value: This study provides a systematic cross-national comparison of team hierarchy and offers a mechanistic understanding of the dominance of tall teams in East Asia, highlighting associations with cultural and funding factors.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_01793
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Not Just Large: Tall Teams Dominate East Asia's Scientific Production
Liu, Siyuan
Xie, Wenjin
Chen, Wenyu
Jia, Tao
Digital Libraries
Physics and Society
Purpose: This study compares the hierarchical structure of scientific teams across countries and investigates factors associated with the observed cross-national differences. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on 150,817 publications with author contribution statements, we focus on the 15 countries with the largest volume of scientific publications, examine cross-country variations in the proportion of tall teams, and analyze how this proportion correlates with other factors. Findings: Scientific output from East Asia is dominated by tall teams, which persist after controlling for team size, indicating that this pattern cannot be fully accounted for by the prevalence of larger teams in these countries. Cultural factors, measured by Power Distance, as well as the observed funding patterns of major basic science agencies, are associated with the dominance of tall teams in East Asia. Research limitations: This study is limited by its reliance on publications with author contribution statements, which may introduce selection bias; its focus on cultural and funding factors, while leaving other institutional contexts unexamined; and its use of a leadership concentration measure that does not capture other dimensions of hierarchy. Practical implications: Understanding cross-national differences in research team structures and their associated cultural and institutional factors can inform science policy and team management. Originality/value: This study provides a systematic cross-national comparison of team hierarchy and offers a mechanistic understanding of the dominance of tall teams in East Asia, highlighting associations with cultural and funding factors.
title Not Just Large: Tall Teams Dominate East Asia's Scientific Production
topic Digital Libraries
Physics and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.01793