Secondary Impacts of Returning Scientists in China

Abstract

In recent years, research in China has experienced an explosion in the number of researchers and papers and an increase in the percentage of highly cited papers. As a background, "returnee researchers" who have returned to their home countries after researching abroad due to China's sea turtle policy continue to achieve high research performance after returning to China. However, the number of returnee researchers is too small to explain the burst of research in China. This study measured the secondary impact of returning scientists in China on domestic Chinese researchers who co-authored with returnees. We found that co-authorship with returnee researchers improves domestic researchers' quantity and quality. Moreover, returnees make domestic researchers more multidisciplinary with co-authorship. The analysis of the secondary effects of returnee researchers in this study provides valuable insights into the overall picture of research within China.