A Multidimensional Framework for Measuring Scientific Leadership

Scientific progress has been one of the critical concerns of many nations in recent decades. It has become one of the top priorities at the highest policy-making levels in several countries. During the last two decades, several policies have been developed to achieve scientific progress and leadership in different parts of the world. For example, China, Japan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran have designed their policies to accelerate scientific progress and achieve scientific leadership in a specific region. However, there is no comprehensive framework to measure the extent of scientific leadership in theory or practice. This study proposes a multidimensional framework for measuring scientific leadership in countries through a qualitative approach. To address this objective, key dimensions, indicators, and metrics for measuring scientific leadership were identified in the literature and policy documents. After the identification of these dimensions, indicators, and metrics, they were verified and weighted by different expert panels. According to the findings, a comprehensive framework for measuring scientific leadership includes five dimensions and 22 indicators and metrics. Results showed that “institutions” is more important than other dimensions in the framework. Since the nature of “scientific leadership” concept is more political than scientific, considering dimensions and indicators covered by the media is a more effective way to measure it. The findings of this study can give policymakers a more comprehensive and accurate view of the concept of scientific leadership and assist them in various planning and research policies. In addition, the proposed framework is the basis for future research seeking to assess scientific leadership quantitatively.