Effects of International Collaboration and Knowledge Moderation on China’s Nanotechnology Research Impacts

Li Tang, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics; Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Philip Shapira

Abstract

Purpose – Recent studies report that China is becoming a leading nation in the quantity of scientific

output, including in the emerging field of nanotechnology. In nanotechnology, bibliometric measures

based on citations also indicate improvements in the research impacts of Chinese scientific papers. The

purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of international collaboration, including the role of

knowledge moderation through Chinese researchers who collaborate in both domestic and

international scientific cooperation, on the impacts of Chinese nanotechnology research publications.

Design/methodology/approach – Using a nanotechnology publication dataset, bibliometric

analysis and statistical testing are adopted to explore the issues raised in the study.

Findings – International collaboration, through direct collaboration and indirectly through Chinese

knowledge moderators, has a positive impact on the quality of Chinese research, controlling for

language, discipline, research capacity, and other factors.

Originality/value – The concept of a Chinese knowledge moderator is introduced to identify

Chinese researchers who bridge scientific worlds by publishing scientific papers with both domestic

and international colleagues. This concept is operationalized to capture the indirect impacts in China of

international knowledge linkages and spillovers including those associated with overseas Chinese

researchers and with overseas returnees.

Keywords China, Innovation, Technology management, Research work, Nanotechnology,

International collaboration, Knowledge moderation, Knowledge spillover

Paper type Research paper