Apratim Mishra's Preliminary Exam
PhD student Apratim Mishra will present his dissertation proposal, "Hype and Diversity in Science: A Bibliometric Study of Biomedical Literature."
His examination committee includes Associate Professor Vetle Torvik, Affiliate Associate Professor Jana Diesner, Professor J. Stephen Downie, and Research Assistant Professor Jinseok Kim.
Abstract: Scientific progress relies on effective communication and collaboration. This dissertation proposal aims to study the impact of scientific publications in the context of two critical phenomena: promotional language (termed "hype") and collaborative diversity in research teams. Multiple studies have documented the increase in the usage of hyperbolic language in scientific writing, which has raised concerns about misleading statements and unreliable claims. While previous research has examined candidate "hype" words through qualitative studies or simple indicators, this study investigates their relative propensity for "hype" by reviewing their contextual usage within publications. Next, the proposal explores how specific dimensions of diversity—ethnicity, gender, academic age, and topical expertise within research teams influence the impact of their work. Leveraging PubMed's hierarchical vocabulary of topical keywords assigned to each article, "expertise" is operationalized for authors within research teams, offering a nuanced analysis of this dimension of diversity. Finally, the study integrates the quantified variables of "hype" and collaborative diversity alongside other bibliometric factors to evaluate their collective influence on scientific communication and impact.
To complement these analyses, computational techniques, including natural language processing and language modeling methods, will be employed to analyze large-scale, author-disambiguated biomedical papers. These methods will be used to disambiguate context, model "hype," and identify significant variables influencing scientific impact. The proposal will also integrate a network of author-level attributes, such as prior expertise and geographical location, with article-level features, such as institutional affiliation and journal-level features, including journal impact. By integrating these diverse factors, the proposal aims to provide a nuanced understanding of what contributes to a scientific paper's influence in the biomedical field. The findings are expected to enhance our understanding of impactful research, the dynamics of successful collaborations, and the development of policies that foster scientific progress.
Questions? Contact Apratim Mishra