The development of stratification and segregation in a new scientific field: A study of collaboration among scientists in neuroblastoma research between 1975 and 2016

Using a new data set on scientific collaboration in neuroblastoma research over a period of 41 years, we study how the structure of collaboration ties in an evolving scientific field changes over time. Guided by concepts from the sociology of knowledge and status theories, we highlight the importance of a field’s size and age for processes of stratification and segregation within it. Our findings suggest that stratification becomes stronger and diversifies as the field of neuroblastoma research expands. Moreover, we find that the occurrence of collaboration between researchers with a similar status becomes more likely as the field matures. While previous work has primarily examined established fields, our study focuses on how scientific fields change their structure over time. More broadly, our article demonstrates the potential analytical merits of adopting a dynamic and relational perspective on the developmental trajectories of organizational and cultural fields.