Comprehensive mapping of local and diaspora scientists: A database and analysis of 63,951 Greek scientists

Abstract

Research policy and planning for a given country may benefit from reliable data on both its scientific workforce as well as the diaspora of scientists for countries with a substantial brain drain. Here we use a systematic approach using Scopus to generate a comprehensive country-level database of all scientists in Greece. Moreover, we expand that database to include also Greek diaspora scientists. The database that we have compiled includes 63,951 scientists who have published at least five papers indexed in Scopus. Of those, 35,116 have an affiliation in Greece. We validate the sensitivity and specificity of the database against different control sets of scientists. We also analyze the scientific disciplines of these scientists according to the Science Metrix classification (174 subfield disciplines) and provide detailed data on each of the 63,951 scientists using multiple citation indicators and a composite thereof. These analyses demonstrate differential concentrations in specific subfields for the local versus the diaspora cohorts, as well as an advantage of the diaspora cohort in terms of citation indicators, especially among top-impact researchers. The approach that we have taken can also be applied to map the scientific workforce of other countries and nations for evaluation, planning, and policy purposes.