Is a question such as "which current fields are producing the most research?" appropriate? For Example, I am primarily interested in comparing the different 'amounts' of research (publications?) being done, for example, in bio-medical research vs civil engineering. I am curious in this question because it seems that certain industries/research fields (for example, computer science) are much more active than other industries. Is this an appropriate question for SE.Academia, and is there a way to quantify the amount of research being done for a given field of study? Thanks.
asked Jun 22, 2016 at 21:14
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1I don't personally find the question too interesting, but it seems on topic based on some other questions I've seen here. My one suggestion would be to try to make it as answerable a question as possible (e.g., define your measure, counting number of publications in a field, and possibly what you mean by field---or counting memberships in professional societies, which I think should be doable).– KimballCommented Jun 23, 2016 at 6:36
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Have a look at this answer from Federico Poloni: academia.stackexchange.com/a/69716/20058– Massimo OrtolanoCommented Jun 23, 2016 at 6:37
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There are tools available on your favorite publication database. But, how relevant, really, is such a question? Yes, different industries/sectors/whatnot have different amounts of research. There are good economic (and political) reasons for that. But, the path to getting the data is very straightforward. Start with you nearest research librarian...– Jon CusterCommented Jun 24, 2016 at 15:28
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I believe that this would be an appropriate question to ask (with a little bit of refinement):
Is there a way to quantify the amount of research being done for a given field of study?
The answer, of course, may not be too useful. The answer is essentially: yes, lots of them, and none of them are any good. It's much like the question of how to compare the research productivity of individuals, which also has no single good answer, and which is why many researchers live under a tyranny of "Impact Factor."
