Center for Public Policy Studies

Tremendous response to Kwiek and Szymula’s recent research on “attrition in science” – results featured 50 times in 15 languages!

Marek Kwiek and Lukasz Szymula’s recent research on “attrition in science” was discussed globally in the past 3 months!

There were 50 discussions and feature stories in 15 languages!

Press releases and discussions, globally:

  1. Nature, News. Nearly 50% of researchers quit science within a decade, huge study reveals. 03.10.2024. Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03222-7
  2. Harper’s Magazine. January 2025. Harper’s Index: https://harpers.org/harpers-index/
  3. The Scientist. Why Are Successful Scientists Leaving Academia Mid-Career? 23.10.2024. Link: https://www.the-scientist.com/why-are-successful-scientists-leaving-academia-mid-career-72266
  4. Science Magazine: “Scientists Are Leaving Academia at Unprecedented Rates” – Link: https://scienmag.com/scientists-are-leaving-academia-at-unprecedented-rates/
  5. Chemistry World. Royal Society of Chemistry. Women stay in science far longer than thought, study of OECD countries suggests. 18.20.2024. Link: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/women-stay-in-science-far-longer-than-thought-study-of-oecd-countries-suggests/4020352.article
  6. Technology Networks. Almost 50% of Scientists Are leaving Academia Within 10 Years – here’s Why. 11.10.2024. Link: https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/articles/almost-50-of-scientists-are-leaving-academia-within-10-years-heres-why-392021
  7. Chemical & Engineering News, American Chemical Society. A third of researchers leave science within 5 years. C&EN, 2024, 102 (32), p 15. 14.10.2024. Link: https://cen.acs.org/careers/third-researchers-leave-science-within/102/i32
  8. Women in Academia Report. The Gender Gap in Scientists Leaving Academia Has Narrowed. 09.010.2024. Link: https://www.wiareport.com/2024/10/the-gender-gap-in-scientists-leaving-academia-after-ten-years-has-narrowed/
  9. Epistella. Science & Tech. As many as 50% of researchers leave science in less than 10 years, according to a new study. 04.10.2024. Link: epistella.fr/2024/10/04/50-chercheurs-quittent-science-10-ans/
  10. Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan. Science dropped out. 12.08.2024. Link: https://amu.edu.pl/en/news-and-events/news/science-dropped-out
  11. (Spain) Mujeres con ciencia. Abandonar la carrera científica: ¿igual para hombres y mujeres? 5.11.2024. Link: https://mujeresconciencia.com/2024/11/05/abandonar-la-carrera-cientifica-igual-para-hombres-y-mujeres/
  12. (China) Sina Microeconomics. 发表第一篇论文十年后，接近一半的科学家离开了学术界? 29.10.2024. Link: https://cj.sina.com.cn/articles/view/5705191799/1540e517701901uwvw
  13. (Indonesia) Warung Sains Teknologi. Krisis dalam Dunia Sains: Setengah Peneliti Tinggalkan Karier Mereka, Ini Alasannya. 27.10.2024. Link: https://warstek.com/peneliti-tinggalkan-karier/
  14. (Italy) La Repubblica. Troppi i giovani che abbandonano la ricerca. 18.10.2024. Link: https://www.repubblica.it/venerdi/2024/10/18/news/troppi_i_giovani_che_abbandonano_la_ricerca-423564157/
  15. (Indonesia) Dunia Pendidik. Hampir 50% Peneliti Meninggalkan Dunia Sains dalam 10 Tahun Terakhir. 16.10.2024. Link: https://duniapendidik.com/hampir-50-peneliti-meninggalkan-dunia-sains-dalam-10-tahun-terakhir/
  16. (France) Rédaction Médicale et Scientifique. 11.10.2024. Link: https://www.redactionmedicale.fr/2024/10/chercheurs-quittant-la-science-1-3-apres-5-ans-50-apres-10-ans-et-2-3-apres-19-ans
  17. (Vietnam) Báo Khoa học và Phát triển. Gần 50% các nhà khoa học bỏ nghề sau mười năm. 10.10.2024. Link: https://khoahocphattrien.vn/chinh-sach/gan-50-cac-nha-khoa-hoc-bo-nghe-sau-muoi-nam/2024101009277897p1c785.htm
  18. (China) Sina Technology. 半数科学家在“首发”10年内退出学术界. 10.10.2024. Link: https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/roll/2024-10-10/doc-incrzith5638836.shtml
  19. (Indonesia) Dedik. Hampir 50% Peneliti Berhenti dari Dunia Sains dalam 10 Tahun Terakhir, Apa Alasannya? 07.10.2024. Link: https://www.detik.com/edu/detikpedia/d-7574726/hampir-50-peneliti-berhenti-dari-dunia-sains-dalam-10-tahun-terakhir-apa-alasannya
  20. (Czech Republic) CT24. Studie popsala masivní útěk lidí z vědy. Týká se hlavně žen. 07.10.2024. Link: https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/veda/studie-popsala-masivni-utek-lidi-z-vedy-tyka-se-hlavne-zen-353743
  21. (Estonia) Novaator. Uuring: ligi poolte teadlaste karjäär piirdub vähem kui kümne aastaga. 04.10.2024. Link: https://novaator.err.ee/1609479467/uuring-ligi-poolte-teadlaste-karjaar-piirdub-vahem-kui-kumne-aastaga
  22. (Czech Republic). Věda kolem světa: 50 % vědců opouští akademickou sféru do 10 let a studenti nenadužívají AI. Link: https://vedavyzkum.cz/veda/ze-zahranici/veda-kolem-sveta-50-vedcu-opousti-akademickou-sferu-do-10-let-a-studenti-nenaduzivaji-ai
  23. (Brazil). Metade dos pesquisadores para de publicar artigos uma década após início da carreira, Link: https://www.apufsc.org.br/2024/11/25/metade-dos-pesquisadores-para-de-publicar-artigos-uma-decada-apos-inicio-da-carreira/
  24. (Brazil). Mulheres têm maior probabilidade do que homens de parar de publicar artigos científicos, mostra levantamento. Link: https://www.nexojornal.com.br/externo/2024/11/24/pesquisadores-param-de-publicar-artigos-cientificos-dez-anos-apos-o-inicio-da-carreira
  25. (Spain). Estudo revela que quase metade dos pesquisadores abandona publicações após dez anos. Link: https://www.portaltela.com/economia/negocios/2024/11/24/estudo-revela-que-quase-metade-dos-pesquisadores-abandona-publicacoes-apos-dez-anos
  26. (Spain). O desgaste da ciênciaMulheres têm maior probabilidade do que homens de parar de publicar artigos científicos, mostra levantamento. Link: https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/o-desgaste-da-ciencia/

As well as in China:

  1. https://news.sciencenet.cn/dz/dznews_photo.aspx?t=&id=40546
  2. https://news.sciencenet.cn/sbhtmlnews/2024/10/381440.shtm
  3. https://paper.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2024/10/531218.shtm
  4. https://www.sohu.com/a/821646351_121956422
  5. https://roll.sohu.com/a/821645965_121956422
  6. https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241030A018MF00
  7. https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1813863804878902831&wfr=spider&for=pc
  8. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/08WMLhYkQkwjQJPaRnaBqg
  9. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ULaYNUkliYt4zIrHG7lk7A (reading volume as high as 39000.)
  10. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Z60k-SPn8ol8_gBT9FJGcg
  11. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/AEI2lT9aUTdQjBcpNWKSCA
  12. https://cn.bg3.co/a/jing-he-zu-zhi-38-guo-ke-xue-jia-liang-hua-ke-xue-ren-yuan-zai-liu-shi.html
  13. https://webbedxp.com/zh-CN/science/jamaal/news/2024-09-scientists-attrition-retention-patterns-million.html
  14. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAwNTAyMDY0MQ==&mid=2652706088&idx=1&sn=67cb3d1ebdf324d94789a7eaf16b9aa6&chksm=8183c0accfb7b5ae9c329e3e7702a783b280254c210dd15bca6e374d0eeb5661978250697ec3#rd
  15. https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241124A06OVA00
  16. https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_29682124
  17. https://m.huxiu.com/article/3700209.html?type=text
  18. https://news.popyard.space/cgi-mod/newscroll.cgi?lan=cn&r=0&sid=16&rid=815320&v=ranked
  19. https://epaper.csstoday.net/epaper/read.do?m=i&iid=6980&eid=50381&sid=233346&idate=12_2024-12-06_A03
  20. http://sscp.cssn.cn/xkpd/gj/202412/t20241206_5817333.html
  21. https://m.posts.careerengine.us/p/674ac1e49cf2894486100401
  22. https://view.inews.qq.com/k/20241124A06OVA00?web_channel=wap&openApp=false
  23. https://m.sohu.com/a/829203191_121798711/?pvid=000115_3w_a
  24. https://view.inews.qq.com/k/20241119A04GXO00?web_channel=wap&openApp=false
  25. https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241119A04GXO00

The original paper was published as “Quantifying attrition in science: a cohort-based, longitudinal study of scientists in 38 OECD countries” in  Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01284-0, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-024-01284-0#citeas or Here (PDF).

Abstract

In this paper, we explore how members of the scientific community leave academic science and how attrition (defined as ceasing to publish) differs across genders, academic disciplines, and over time. Our approach is cohort-based and longitudinal: We track individual male and female scientists over time and quantify the phenomenon traditionally referred to as “leaving science.” Using publication metadata from Scopus—a global bibliometric database of publications and citations—we follow the details of the publishing careers of scientists from 38 OECD countries who started publishing in 2000 (N = 142,776) and 2010 (N = 232,843). Our study is restricted to 16 STEMM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine), and we track the individual scholarly output of the two cohorts until 2022. We use survival analysis to compare attrition of men and women scientists. With more women in science and more women within cohorts, attrition is becoming ever less gendered. In addition to the combined aggregated changes at the level of all STEMM disciplines, widely nuanced changes were found to occur at the discipline level and over time. Attrition in science means different things for men versus women depending on the discipline; moreover, it means different things for scientists from different cohorts entering the scientific workforce. Finally, global bibliometric datasets were tested in the current study, opening new opportunities to explore gender and disciplinary differences in attrition.

 

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