Brian Uzzi, Kellogg School of Mangement

The Lens of Time: Prior Knowledge and Future Impact in Science, Patenting, and Law
Brian Uzzi, Management and Organizations, Kellogg School of Mangement

Description

Semester: 
Winter 2015
Lecture Time: 
Friday, April 17, 2015 - 1:30pm to 3:00pm
Lecture Location: 

Room R1240, Ross School of Business

Abstract

In pursuit of ingenuity, scientists and scholars can draw upon an ever-expanding stock of knowledge. This paper examines a dimension of the knowledge landscape emphasized in philosophies of science: Time. Using original chronometric methods to examine (1) 28.4 million Web of Science papers, (2) 5.38 million U.S. patents, and (3) 19,842 U.S. Supreme Court rulings, we found that amidst the proclivity for sampling recent work, one sampling distribution is intimately linked to future impact. This referencing distribution is centered in time just behind the bleeding edge while featuring above average temporal dispersion. Papers with this referencing distribution appear twice as often in the top 5 or top 1 percent of citations. Referencing distributions focusing on vintage, widespread, or bleeding edge work fail to exceed background hit rates. This pattern appears universal – it holds in science, patenting, and law, revealing a powerful link between ensuing impact and the chronometric sampling of prior work.

Recording & Additional Notes

No recording available