The field factor: Industry publishing contribution and novelty in science

Journal: PLOS One

Scientific research has been at the core of universities, while industrial firms have long complemented academic science by regularly publishing their research findings. The extent of industry publishing, however, varies considerably across scientific fields. Today, industry authored publications account for roughly a quarter of academic publications in areas such as AI and Biomedical Sciences. Using a dataset of 11.1 million publications across all STEM fields from 2000 to 2014, the researchers examine how industry involvement shapes scientific knowledge production.

Drawing on the dominant recombinant innovation perspective of novelty which conceptualizes novelty as the unusual recombination of antecedent knowledge, the researchers find that greater industry publishing intensity within a scientific field is associated positively with novelty of publications in that field. However, the analysis reveals a nuanced trade-off: while increased industry publishing promotes a greater integration of existing knowledge components (novelty breadth), it limits the potential for groundbreaking work arising from the recombination of distant knowledge (novelty distance). In fields characterized by high levels of industry publishing, research focus may intensify around topics aligned with industry priorities, inadvertently diverting academic attention from distant, less industry-relevant domains. The researchers also find that universities play a key role in shaping these patterns and top academic institutions seem better positioned to balance the trade-off between novelty breadth and novelty distance. The findings carry important implications for science policy, underscoring the need to preserve and support blue skies exploratory research in fields with strong industry presence.