Switching research fields? Beware the ‘pivot penalty’

Scientists who switch research fields suffer a drop in the impact of their new work – a so-called “pivot penalty” – according to a new analysis of scientific papers and patents.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Physics World
Published
2025-08-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1088/2058-7058/38/07/07
Primary Topic
Science, Research, and Medicine
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Switching research fields? Beware the ‘pivot penalty’

Michael Allen
Physics World
Science, Research, and Medicine
article

Switching research fields? Beware the ‘pivot penalty’

Michael Allen
article en

Abstract

Scientists who switch research fields suffer a drop in the impact of their new work – a so-called “pivot penalty” – according to a new analysis of scientific papers and patents.

Physics WorldVol. 38(7)
Openalex Percentile: Top 72%
Science, Research, and Medicine
DOISourceOpenAlex
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Switching research fields? Beware the ‘pivot penalty’ — Michael Allen · Physics World (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS