Abstract:

The formation, development, and transition of world science centers are closely linked to their disciplinary structures. Based on the InCites database, this study constructs a “Disciplinary Structure and Research Effectiveness Measurement Framework” and analyzes research output data from various disciplines of 10 countries-China, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, Italy, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa-from 2012 to 2022. The analysis examines the overall development characteristics and typological differences in the disciplinary structure of each country from four dimensions: balance, support, interdisciplinarity, and openness. The findings reveal that there are deep divisions in the conceptual layout and developmental stages of disciplinary structures across countries; significant differences in knowledge production quality, knowledge application and transformation, and knowledge field coverage; variations in knowledge integration and interdisciplinary research; and diverse characteristics in open cooperation. Based on these findings, the study proposes a set of strategic suggestions to enhance the research effectiveness of China's disciplinary structure, including improving the balance of research output across disciplines, strengthening the supportiveness of disciplinary research outcomes, advancing interdisciplinarity across research domains, and expanding openness in disciplinary research collaboration, so as to support China's development into a major world science center and innovation hub.

Key words: disciplinary structure, research effectiveness, world science center, international comparison