Role of machine and organizational structure in science

Moe Kyaw Thu; Shotaro Beppu; Masaru Yarime; Sotaro Shibayama

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272280

Role of machine and organizational structure in science

PLoS One. 2022 Aug 11;17(8):e0272280. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272280. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Moe Kyaw Thu¹, Shotaro Beppu², Masaru Yarime^{1

3}, Sotaro Shibayama^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
² School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Division of Public Policy, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
⁴ Institute of Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
⁵ School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Abstract

The progress of science increasingly relies on machine learning (ML) and machines work alongside humans in various domains of science. This study investigates the team structure of ML-related projects and analyzes the contribution of ML to scientific knowledge production under different team structure, drawing on bibliometric analyses of 25,000 scientific publications in various disciplines. Our regression analyses suggest that (1) interdisciplinary collaboration between domain scientists and computer scientists as well as the engagement of interdisciplinary individuals who have expertise in both domain and computer sciences are common in ML-related projects; (2) the engagement of interdisciplinary individuals seem more important in achieving high impact and novel discoveries, especially when a project employs computational and domain approaches interdependently; and (3) the contribution of ML and its implication to team structure depend on the depth of ML.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bibliometrics*
Humans
Interdisciplinary Studies*

Grants and funding

S.S. received a research grant from Lars Erik Lundberg Foundation (936396, https://www.lundbergsstiftelserna.se) and Watanabe Memorial Foundation for the Advancement of Technology (R2-509, http://www.watanabe-found.or.jp). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.