Literature Review on “Star Scientist”: Current trends and implications for advanced study

Abstract

The paper reviews the existing literature on the subject of "Star Scientists." The review centers on a series of publications by Zucker, Darby et al., attempting to validate the "Star Scientists" concept itself, considering various academic settings. Three primary objectives of the review are 1) Categorize existing literature in line with three research agendas, including "individual characteristics of Stars," "Stars' interrelations with the research community and organizational resources," and "the impact of Stars on the economy." 2) Understand why there has been an increase of interest in Star Scientists within the context of the Industrial Revolution, General Purpose Technologies, and Innovation Systems in recent years. 3) Survey the Japanese counterparts to Star Scientist. The review concludes with a summary of facts regarding Star Scientists' contributions in a multitude of circumstances.