This evidence report is based on the key findings of collated sources of evidence on the international mobility of researchers, especially in relation to their entry to the UK, published between 2010 and 2021.
The aim of this report is to centralise the existing evidence on mobility, showing the impacts and trends of mobility as well as any gaps in knowledge. As indicated by the UK government’s Research and Development (R&D) People and Culture Strategy, the UK’s research system is renowned for its strong collaborative nature and has long excelled at attracting international researchers.
Key findings tell us of the importance of international mobility to researchers, countries and institutions and may give useful pointers for the continued development of the UK’s strategies to attract and collaborate with international researchers.
This report has been formed with contributions from across governmental departments and with the input of organisations from across the research and innovation sector. For definitions of all terms used in this report, see ‘methodology’ section.
1. Summary: the importance of international mobility
The impact and importance of international mobility was evident in all evidence sources used within this report which highlights how important it is for the UK to maintain a competitive talent offer.
The evidence suggests that the UK has a competitive offer internationally. The UK is seen to provide international researchers with transparent and merit-based career progression, scoring above average in comparison to other European countries in terms of the career opportunities offered to academics (Europe on the Horizon: Examining the value of European Research Collaboration).
The prestigious reputation of the UK’s research institutions also plays a significant role in attracting international researchers (Highly skilled migration and the negotiation of immigration policy: non-EEA postgraduate students and academic staff at English universities), along with the highly skilled technician workforce who provide essential support to research (Impact of Brexit on the technical workforce at Russell Group universities).
The evidence also notes that the British lifestyle is a driver for international researchers, particularly for students (it should be noted that this statement is true for a sample consisting of predominantly European researchers) (Choice of Country by the Foreign Born for PhD and Postdoctoral Study: A Sixteen-Country Perspective).
However, as the government’s R&D People and Culture Strategy and the UK Innovation Strategy note, there are still opportunities for the UK to improve the talent offer for international researchers.
Although we do not yet understand the full impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on researcher mobility, membership of the EU and associated freedom of movement was a draw for European researchers.
Similarly, the cost (UK science and immigration: why the UK needs an internationally competitive visa offer) and length of the UK visa process (International Movement and Science: A survey of researchers by the Together Science Can campaign) is an obstacle to relocation for researchers. Internationally, differences in entitlements and immigration rules in destination countries may influence researcher mobility. It is also important to note that we do not yet know the full effect of COVID-19 on international mobility.
The benefits of international mobility for both countries and research institutions are well evidenced, and to match the UK’s ambitions for R&D, the UK must continue to improve the talent offer to international academics while learning more about the needs of researchers who work in business.
2. Introduction
Demographics of the researcher workforce and mobility patterns
International mobility can be defined in several different ways, as international experiences can vary by duration, purpose, the number, and frequency of moves and when moves occur within a researcher’s career.
Studies also take different approaches to the researcher groups analysed, as well as whether movements are considered relative to the country of birth or to other reference points such as nationality, country of highest degree and educational attainment, or country of first research publication.
Due to this variation, it is difficult to draw general conclusions about the prevalence of international mobility, and it should be noted that the strength of some studies used in this review is limited (see ‘limitations of the evidence base’).
Regardless, the UK has a highly mobile researcher population (The UK’s role in global research: How the UK can live up to its place in the world). According to an analysis of author affiliations on publications from 1996 to 2012, 72% of UK researchers were internationally mobile during that period (Comparative Benchmarking of European and US Research Collaboration and Researcher Mobility).
Investment and interventions in the research sector
UKRI, including our research councils, globally-leading institutes and international offices, invests heavily in the UK’s research system to build the UK’s position as a global research leader.
To fully execute this vision, the best research and innovation talent is needed, with the international flow of workers in research and innovation a key part of attracting and retaining talent. Such a system needs to facilitate and support the movement of researchers through both long and short-term mobility into the UK.
To attract and retain researchers, the UK government has implemented a range of interventions.
In July 2018, the UKRI Temporary Worker – Government Authorised Exchange scheme was formed to promote short-term mobility at all career stages. This ensures that collaborators and project partners have ease of access to work temporarily in the country. The scheme was expanded in October 2021 to enable public sector research establishments to obtain a licence to use the scheme.
In February 2020, the Global Talent visa was introduced, enabling promising researchers and their teams to obtain long term visas at speed, including technology and methodology experts. This scheme has since been expanded and improved to widen eligibility.
In October 2020, UKRI also extended eligibility for the doctoral training programme to international students and the UK government introduced the new Graduate visa route in summer 2021.
The government published two new strategies in 2021:
Both strategies aim to encourage a more inclusive, dynamic, productive and sustainable research and development sector in the UK.
The European Commission MORE studies provide key indicators on researcher mobility patterns and career paths, allowing us to evaluate the impact of these interventions and to assess how attractive the UK’s offer is to international researchers. Both structural (characteristics such as origin countries) and non-structural (factors such as researcher perceptions) indicators are monitored (MORE3 study).
International mobility and collaboration
The studies in this evidence report all suggest that international mobility and collaboration is essential to research and innovation. International collaboration is key to career development and enables researchers to:
- access additional, often specific, expertise
- gain new perspectives on research
- build relationships with others in the field
Indeed, a survey of more than 1,200 fellowship and grant recipients from the UK National Academies found that international collaboration and mobility is integral to life as an active researcher across all disciplines and at all career stages (The role of international collaboration and mobility in research).
Table 1: Impacts of global mobility and collaboration on researchers
| Strongly increased (%) | Increased (%) | Remained unchanged (%) | Decreased (%) | Strongly Decreased (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International networks | 22 | 64 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| Advanced research skills | 16 | 60 | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| Collaboration with other sub fields of research | 14 | 60 | 20 | 3 | 3 |
| Overall career progression | 10 | 58 | 24 | 4 | 4 |
| Recognition in the research community | 14 | 55 | 25 | 3 | 3 |
| Quality of output | 12 | 54 | 28 | 4 | 2 |
| Quantity of output | 12 | 52 | 26 | 7 | 3 |
| Number of co-authored publication | 10 | 54 | 26 | 6 | 4 |
| Job options in academia | 8 | 48 | 34 | 7 | 3 |
| National contact or network | 6 | 50 | 34 | 6 | 4 |
| Ability to obtain competitive funding for basic research | 8 | 45 | 38 | 5 | 4 |
| Job options outside academia | 5 | 44 | 44 | 4 | 3 |
| Quality of life | 6 | 38 | 40 | 10 | 6 |
| Progression in salary and financial conditions | 5 | 37 | 48 | 6 | 4 |
Source: European Commission – Annex to MORE3 study: survey on researchers in European higher education institutions.
In the original figure, ‘recognition in the research community’ is incorrectly referenced as ‘recognition in the research communication’. We have corrected this.
3. What makes the UK attractive?
Why the UK is an attractive place for researchers and scientists
The government’s R&D People and Culture Strategy notes that there are many brilliant researchers in the UK, doing ground-breaking work in world-leading organisations. To maintain the excellence of the UK’s research base, the UK must remain an attractive prospect for researchers and specialists.
A Home Office evidence review found the following motivations and drivers for international researchers and scientists are significant when choosing a destination country. Evidence on the extent to which the UK meets these drivers is presented below.
1. Career opportunities
A large-scale study of EU researchers found that career progression was the most commonly cited reason for international mobility among PhD students and researchers in all post-PhD career stages. Among non-EU researchers who had relocated to the UK, career progression was the most common driver (MORE3 study).
A survey of international academics from 17 countries also found that higher salaries played an important part in attracting highly qualified academics from abroad (The Early Career Paths and Employment Conditions of the Academic Profession in 17 Countries).
It should be noted that a MORE3 study found that 68.2% of researchers surveyed agreed that career progression is sufficiently merit-based in the UK and 74.9% of researchers suggested that career paths are transparent. The UK generally scores well in terms of career progression in comparison to other European countries.
2. Research infrastructure
A large survey of researchers working in higher education in countries around the world found that funding from research organisations is the most important enabling factor for researchers who move to live abroad (International Movement and Science: A survey of researchers by the Together Science Can campaign).
Analysis of small-scale case studies of relocating academic staff found that the prestigious reputation of the UK’s research organisations was a significant factor behind choosing the UK to migrate to for work-related reasons (Highly skilled migration and the negotiation of immigration policy: non-EEA postgraduate students and academic staff at English universities). However, the UK scores just below EU average in terms of individual satisfaction with obtaining research funding (Annex to MORE3 study: Survey on researchers in European higher education institutions).
3. High quality peers and the opportunity to build networks and collaborative relationships
The opportunity to work with leading experts is a common driver for researchers and scientists making the decision to relocate. A large-scale survey of scientists across 16 countries found that the presence of eminent colleagues was on average the second-most important factor in choosing their destination country (Foreign-born scientists: mobility patterns for 16 countries).
Additionally, findings from a qualitative and quantitative study with fellows and grant recipients of the National Academies highlighted that participants’ reasons for short-term travel commonly included travelling to meet collaborators and to develop networks (The role of international collaboration and mobility in research).
Moreover, the UK has a highly skilled technician workforce who provide essential support to research and the ability to work with the best technicians is an attractive prospect to researchers. In Russell Group universities, most technicians (64%), are skilled to NQF level 6 or above with 88% of EU technicians and 89% of non-EU technicians holding this higher level of qualification (Impact of Brexit on the technical workforce at Russell Group universities).
4. British lifestyle
Cultural and environmental factors act as facilitators to migration and are likely to vary in importance, depending on individual circumstances. An analysis of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from 16 countries found that students who value lifestyle factors as a reason for where they train are more likely to go to either Great Britain, France, Australia, or Canada than the US for study. However, the analysis does not define what a British lifestyle is, or what is attractive about it (Choice of Country by the Foreign Born for PhD and Postdoctoral Study: A Sixteen-Country Perspective).
The Royal Society also indicated that the UK ranks highly in the Nature Index of leading science nations but is outscored on various lifestyle criteria, such as health and disposable income (UK science and immigration: why the UK needs an internationally competitive visa offer).
These findings give some indication of common motivations, but further research is needed to identify the relative weight of each of these factors for researchers interested in relocating to the UK.
Table 2: Rankings of motivations for mobility at different career stages
| PhD student mobility (%) | Post-PhD mobility (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Working with leading scientists | 88.5 | 83.3 |
| Quality of training and education | 86.9 | |
| Career progression | 84.5 | 80 |
| International networking | 83.3 |
Source: European Commission – MORE3 study.
To match the UK’s ambitions for R&D, an additional 150,000 researchers and specialists will be needed by 2030 (R&D People and Culture Strategy). The UK research population has been steadily rising over the last ten years but there is still more to do to fulfil the required number of researchers and specialists by 2030. While life in the UK appears to be an attractive proposition for international researchers, we must be able to convert this interest into relocation decisions to realise the UK’s ambitions (R&D People and Culture Strategy).
Table 3. Increase in researcher and technician populations over the last 10 years
Number of researchers and technicians, UK, 2013 to 2019.
| Total number of researchers (FTE), UK | Total R&D personnel (FTE), UK | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 267,698 | 377,342 |
| 2014 | 276,583 | 396,280 |
| 2015 | 284,483 | 413,860 |
| 2016 | 288,922 | 417,390 |
| 2017 | 295,934 | 443,597 |
| 2018 | 305,794 | 463,476 |
| 2019 | 317,472 | 486,088 |
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – Researchers (indicator).
Barriers
To continue to attract international researchers to the UK the evidence suggests the following areas could be improved to enhance the UK’s offer to international researchers.
1. Immigration system and visas
Although we are yet to see the full effect of the UK’s exit from the EU, membership of the EU and associated freedom of movement was particularly attractive to other European researchers.
The length of the visa process in the UK presents an issue for many researchers, particularly for early career researchers. A quarter of researchers from Africa and Asia report difficulties in obtaining a visa that affect relocation (International Movement and Science: A survey of researchers by the Together Science Can campaign).
A Home Office evidence review also indicated that one of the most frequent difficulties experienced by international researchers and scientists was the complexity and length of application forms (International Movement and Science: A survey of researchers by the Together Science Can campaign).
Finally, the Royal Society reported that current UK visa arrangements are among the most expensive in the world for migrants and sponsors, and consequently act as a significant barrier for international researchers who want to move to the UK (UK science and immigration: why the UK needs an internationally competitive visa offer). A Wellcome Trust report indicated that these costs are making the UK less attractive compared to its competitors (The UK’s role in global research: How the UK can live up to its place in the world).
These costs can include application fees, fees for dependents, the Immigration Health Surcharge (the immigration health surcharge is charged upfront for each visa year applied for) and may include costs associated with applying for citizenship (UK science and immigration: why the UK needs an internationally competitive visa offer).
2. Funding
Difficulty obtaining funding is a key barrier to international mobility (MORE2 Study on Mobility Patterns and Career Paths of Researchers). Weert’s (2013) analysis of MORE2 data found that EU academics cited difficulty obtaining funding as a key barrier to doctoral and postdoctoral mobility, noted by 64% of doctoral researchers and 43% of postdoctoral researchers (MORE2 Study on Mobility Patterns and Career Paths of Researchers). Indeed, in 2016, the UK scored just below EU average for individual satisfaction on obtaining research funding (Annex to MORE3 study: Survey on researchers in European higher education institutions).
3. Personal or family reasons
The European Higher Education MORE3 survey concluded that, for the group of PhD students surveyed, personal and family reasons are significant barriers to mobility (25). Of those surveyed 26% of Post-PhD students with children reported being internationally mobile, versus 38% of Post-PhD students without children (OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators). Comparing responses from the MORE2 (67%) and MORE3 (77%) surveys, personal and family reasons have become a greater barrier to mobility.
Additionally, MORE3 data suggests that PhD students and post-PhD students experience a few similar barriers to mobility, with 44% (PhD students) and 36.3% (post-PhD students) citing difficulty in obtaining funding as a key barrier, and 41% (PhD students) and 38.3% (post-PhD students) suggesting that finding a suitable position is also a significant barrier (Annex to MORE3 study: Survey on researchers in European higher education institutions).
4. Impact of international mobility and collaboration
In addition to improving the attractiveness of the UK to international academics, it is important to acknowledge the significant impact that international mobility and collaboration have on both institutions and countries.
While the evidence base points to the reported benefits of international mobility and collaboration, it is difficult to quantitatively measure the impact of international mobility on research performance.
One of the most widely recognised indicators of the impact of research is the field-weighted citation impact (FWCI) of research publications (What is field-weighted citation impact?).
There is evidence that international collaboration is positively correlated to the citation impact of research publications, and FWCI is sometimes used as a proxy for measuring the impact of international mobility and collaboration (The benefits of scientific mobility and international collaboration).
In 2018, 55% of UK publications were the result of international collaboration and since 2010 the UK has had a larger proportion of its research among the most widely cited in the world than any other comparator (International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base).
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concluded that publications by incoming researchers to the UK have a 13% higher FWCI than those of UK-based researchers who are not mobile. However, the FWCI of researchers who return to the UK and of researchers who leave the UK for another country does not differ significantly from those who stay in the UK (OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard). The OECD also notes that researchers who stay in their home country are more likely to publish in journals deemed to be of lower prestige (OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard).
The limitations of FWCI and other metrics are well-described (see ‘limitations of the evidence base’) and we caution against drawing blunt conclusions using these metrics. UKRI are investing in finding more relevant proxies for the effect of international mobility on (wider) research impacts. As a signatory to the 2013 San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), we are mindful of how inappropriate metrics can give rise to perverse incentives.
Impact of inward and outward mobility on institutions
Mobility, both inward and outward, is a vital tool in developing relationship-building collaborations, which may in turn generate income for the research and innovation sector. The skills and knowledge of mobile and internationally collaborating researchers bring reputational and performance benefits for UK institutions. While language and cultural barriers can present a challenge for institutions to support the integration of researchers (Research Issues in the International Migration of Highly Skilled Workers: A Perspective with Data from the US), one study concluded that ‘life sciences teams appear to be most successful when the team has a strong domestic base but collaborates actively enough outside the country to ensure a moderate amount of external involvement in the team’ (International Collaboration, Mobility and Team Diversity in the Life Sciences: Impact on Research Performance).
Mobility can also offer financial benefits to institutions. Access to a global talent pool may help institutions hire good quality researchers who match the desired (rare or unique) research skills and knowledge (Research Issues in the International Migration of Highly Skilled Workers: A Perspective with Data from the US). This in turn aids in overcoming bottlenecks in research or production, leading to increased economic activity.
Additionally, links and ideas which develop through international mobility can translate into research grants from domestic or international sources. This may help diversify funding streams, providing opportunities not previously open to UK researchers (UK Research and Development Roadmap: A response from the British Academy).
Finally, the British Academy noted that European research collaboration activities have raised the profile of UK higher education institutions, meaning that UK universities perform strongly in university rankings which supports future opportunities for collaboration (UK Research and Development Roadmap: A response from the British Academy).
University of Cambridge’s response to the Migration Advisory Committee’s interim labour market update on EEA workers in the UK.
The presence of international researchers (non-UK EEA and non-EEA alike) aids ‘brain circulation’ and helps drive up the citation weight impacts of our British researchers. Being able to freely access talent from the EEA has been a significant advantage in this respect.
Impact of international mobility and collaboration on countries
Global mobility also creates significant benefits for countries. The risk of ‘brain drain’ is often used to argue against increased global mobility in research, but this evidence review shows that it is more accurate to talk of ‘brain circulation’, as the movement of researchers across institutions helps knowledge to circulate worldwide. It is not always the case that countries of origin experience a loss, as researchers tend to retain productive links with their home countries and may also return home bringing back additional skills (International mobility of researchers: A review of the literature commissioned by Royal Society).
Increased availability of highly skilled workers and export opportunities for technology can increase R&D and economic activity. However, Regets (2007) suggests that this could also have possible negative consequences, such as a decreased incentive for resident researchers to seek higher skills, and the potential for technology to be transferred to competitors (Research Issues in the International Migration of Highly Skilled Workers: A Perspective with Data from the US).
Enabling UK-based researchers to undertake short periods of time overseas is beneficial to the UK’s soft power, helping to establish and reinforce bilateral and multilateral R&I relationships between countries but also beyond (UK Research and Development Roadmap: A response from the British Academy).
5. Areas for future research
While this report sets out many of the key dimensions in global mobility, there are areas where there is limited information, and future evidence-gathering exercises should aim to help reduce these gaps in evidence.
1. Effect of immigration rules
More evidence is needed on the effect of the Home Office immigration rules on international researchers’ attitudes to, and experiences of, mobility (International mobility of researchers: A review of the literature commissioned by Royal Society).
It is worth noting, however, that an OECD report found that visa restrictions can have statistically negative effects on both scientist flows and collaborations, decreasing them by as much as 50% (Which factors influence the international mobility of research scientists?).
2. Researchers in business
People working in research-related roles in business tend to be less well-defined and more difficult to reach. Therefore, most analysis has focused on academic researchers, despite a larger (and growing) proportion of UK researchers who work in businesses (The role of international collaboration and mobility in research).
To increase the evidence base on researchers in business, UKRI are currently carrying out a consultation with business to understand how UK R&D-intensive businesses use the immigration system, and how they can be better supported.
3. Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and global mobility
Little is known about the diversity of globally mobile researchers and comparative evidence is needed on the effectiveness of equality, diversity, and inclusion policies. Compiling and contributing to an evidence base in this area could help guide policy, such as current efforts to increase “family-friendliness” of academia (International mobility of researchers: A review of the literature commissioned by Royal Society).
4. Social implications of global mobility
There is a lack of evidence around the social implications of global mobility, both on a personal level for researchers and in terms of research outcomes. Most studies focus on benefits to the economy, or to researchers’ careers or their academic output and forming of new networks. The advantages of mobility have chiefly been assessed in terms of publications, which do not present a full account of the benefits to society that research provides (International mobility of researchers: A review of the literature commissioned by Royal Society).
5. Research funding schemes
There is limited evidence on the impact research funding schemes have on fostering international mobility and little comparative evidence of how different countries support and promote international mobility (International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base).
6. Global mobility patterns
Future analysis could examine the impact of researchers’ mobility patterns on career progression across career stages and disciplines, or the extent to which short-term mobility is equal to long-term mobility in terms of impact on career progression or recruitment.
6. Limitations of the evidence base
While the evidence used in this report sketches a picture of the international mobility of researchers, the studies included in this summary have some limitations:
- while there is evidence to suggest that progression and job opportunities are an important motivation for moving to the UK, the sample sizes of these studies were very small and geographically limited
- this evidence summary does not explore international mobility of students in detail. We refer to work by Universities UK and Russell Group for more information on student mobility
- similarly, this review did not find many studies that looked at the international mobility of research team members and specialists (for example, technical, or methodological experts, language specialists, professionals in engineering, data science and so on)
- there are many definitions of global mobility that are used across the sector, and this may have affected studies on researcher mobility
- the impact of international mobility is difficult to measure, and the most widely used measurement (FWCI) is narrowly defined and not inclusive of the wide range of research outputs and impacts – as a signatory to the 2013 San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), we are mindful of how inappropriate metrics can give rise to perverse incentives
- while the British lifestyle is referenced as a factor that attracts researchers to the UK, clarity on what the British lifestyle constitutes is needed
7. Next steps
This report aims to increase understanding of the global mobility of researchers (including the barriers and motivations to do so), to highlight the impacts of mobility and identify where the gaps in knowledge are. This centralised summary of evidence on global mobility will act as a shared point of reference in the sector, to help provide the basis for evidence-based policy proposals and stances.
Moving forward, UKRI will be publishing an annual update to this evidence report which will aim to provide a succinct snapshot of the current evidence on international mobility, along with a summary of the evidence that assesses how attractive the UK is to international researchers.
We encourage you to contact the team if you have any suggestions for evidence to include, or if you have any other feedback, through the UKRI Engagement Hub.
Methodology
The primary research questions for this evidence pack were:
- how attractive is the UK for global talent? What evidence do we have?
- what are the barriers of short- and long-term international mobility for the UK?
- benefits (both monetary and non-monetary) of outwards mobility
- brain circulation – what do we know about that? Do we have evidence on outward mobility?
The secondary research questions for the evidence pack were:
- interventions: at what stages of the research pathway should we intervene to retain global talent? What are the effective approaches to international mobility?
- opportunities and international comparison of talent mobility
The evidence report is based on literature reviews and data between 2010 and 2021. These sources were identified through online searches, engaging with various organisations for guidance and utilising existing UKRI data providers, such as the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA).
It aims to summarise the latest evidence on the above research questions from the identified sources and will be updated as new information and data becomes available. A variety of sources have been used from reputable sources (for example, OECD, EU commission and Elsevier) which are listed above. Any analysis done internally has been quality assured.
Definitions
The following definitions are based on definitions from the International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base report commissioned by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
‘Migratory mobility pattern’ – researchers who stay abroad or in the UK for two years or more.
‘Transitory mobility pattern’ or ‘temporary mobility pattern’ – researchers who stay abroad or in the UK for less than two years.
The following definitions are based on OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms – Researchers Definition.
‘Researchers’ – professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products processes, methods, and systems, and in the management of the projects concerned.
‘Research personnel’ – all persons employed directly on research and development [activities], as well as those providing direct services such as research and development managers, administrators, and clerical staff.
‘Technicians’ – persons whose main tasks require technical knowledge and experience in one or more fields of engineering, physical and life sciences, or social sciences and humanities. They participate in research and development (R&D) by performing scientific and technical tasks involving the application of concepts and operational methods, normally under the supervision of researchers. Equivalent staff perform the corresponding R&D tasks under the supervision of researchers in the social sciences and humanities.
The following definitions are based on the Annex to MORE3 study: Survey on researchers in European higher education institutions.
‘Structural indicators in monitoring researcher’s careers and mobility over time’ – these indicators are stable and are likely to change slowly over time. This means that they should be monitored every three or four years. These indicators include characteristics such as origin countries, career stage, discipline, and sector.
‘Non-structural indicators in monitoring researchers’ careers and mobility over time’ – these indicators are more volatile and should be measured more frequently to capture progress towards the targets of policy effects in the field. These indicators include characteristics such as researchers’ perceptions (for example, on their career progression or on the degree of transparency in the recruitment process).
The following definition is derived from What is Field-weighted Citation Impact? from Scopus.
‘Field-weighted citation impact’ – the ratio of the total citations actually received by the denominator’s output, and the total citations that would be expected based on the average of the subject field.
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