Story perspectives
Beginner Researchers Drive Innovation in Scientific Papers
9/30/2025
40 5
1 of 1
Story summary
- A study of over 28 million articles from 1971–2021 finds teams with more unpublished researchers produce more innovative, disruptive papers.
- Disruptiveness was measured using citation-based disruption scores across decades and disciplines.
- Papers with beginner authors are disruptive and innovative; disruption peaks when teams are all beginners or mix beginners with experienced authors.
- Results hold across team sizes, decades, and disciplines.
