Studying the scientific diaspora: going beyond bibliometric methods

Abstract The international mobility of highly qualified scientists has drawn increasing attention from researchers and policymakers, especially regarding scientific diaspora networks. These networks enable exchange of knowledge and technology and academic collaboration, benefiting sending and receiving countries. Bibliometric methods have been widely used to track academic mobility flows, analyzing institutional affiliations and collaboration patterns. However, such methods have limitations for investigating the scientific diaspora, as they do not allow the identification of researchers’ nationality or birthplace. The aim of this article is to propose a multi-method approach to overcome these limitations, combining bibliometric techniques with supplemental sources, such as academic CV, institutional databases, and qualitative information. We applied this methodology to study scientific collaborations on COVID-19 involving the Brazilian scientific diaspora from 2020 to 2022, a period characterized by intense international cooperation. This analysis included variables such as gender, academic background, professional activity, and co-authorship patterns. Results show that the proposed approach enables more robust identification of diaspora researchers and their interactions with Brazil, which can provide relevant insights for science policies and engagement strategies of the diaspora. We conclude that the combination of bibliometric and qualitative data is essential for a better understanding of academic mobility and scientific diaspora dynamics, thereby contributing to the development of more effective policies for managing highly qualified human capital.