A bibliometric analysis using a newly developed model and a customizable research tool: A case study of researcher mobility in Sweden

Journal article, 2024

Researcher mobility is an integral part of the way research is conducted and of a researcher’s career. Its effects on collaboration networks, research impact and knowledge flows drive countries and institutions to quantify and understand this activity. The purpose of this study is to test a new researcher mobility model which was developed and prototyped as a customisable research tool to provide a unified perspective on mobility at macro (national), meso (institutional) and micro (individual) levels. The approach includes multidimensional perspectives, including temporal, geographical, sectoral, directional mobility, that could be used for benchmarking and trend analyses. The model quantifies research mobility volumes and qualifies the mobility flow additional researcher characteristics and productivity indicators. We tested the tool among Sweden’s higher education sector, observing researcher mobility patterns between 1992–2021. Results show a high degree of variability in researcher mobility patterns across institutions, especially when considered by career age. Larger higher education institutions in Sweden tend to see a high level of inter-university mobility: most of the Outflow researchers have international mobility and were affiliated with organisations from diverse sectors. Smaller universities are more adapted to attract early- and retain late-career researchers. One university was identified as an incubator for early-career researchers that go on to high levels of mobility. Another university achieved higher mobility rates by facilitating short-term mobility abroad. The study highlighted a shift in the countries of destination for the Inflow early-career researchers: fewer were affiliated with USA, UK or Japan, while other countries became more prominent (China, Germany, Netherlands, Spain) and new destinations emerged (Brazil, India, Iran). The study emphasized that visiting researchers are consistently more productive, and their research impact is generally higher. With the help of our advanced model, we present a detailed picture of mobility in Sweden and demonstrate the power of this customisable tool.