What is local research? A theoretical and operational framework

The concept of local research has been used in the literature for the past 30 years. Still, there appears to be limited discussion around it within the specialized community, since definitions are scarce and only recently have scientometric approaches to its measuring been made. The importance of circumscribing local research, both theoretically and operationally, lies in its far-reaching implications for public policy. A clear understanding of the concept is crucial for making informed decisions when setting research agendas, allocating funds, evaluating, and rewarding scientists. Using Dimensions data at journal, disciplinary category and country levels, we elucidate the nature of local research and the possibilities of measuring it within a body of scientific publications. First, we discuss the existing notions around the concept. Drawing on spatial scientometrics and proximities, we then build a framework that splits the concept into several dimensions: locally informed research, locally situated research, locally relevant research, locally bound research, and locally governed research. Each dimension is composed of a definition and a methodological approach, which we finally test and compare to assess the implications of applying one over another. Our findings reveal that these approaches measure distinct and sometimes unaligned aspects of local research, with varying effectiveness across countries and disciplines. Therefore, we provide a flexible framework that facilitates the analysis of these dimensions and their intersections, in an attempt to contribute to the understanding and assessment of local research and its role within the production, dissemination, and evaluation of scientific knowledge.