There is substantial literature on research performance differences between male and female researchers, and its explanation. Using publication records of 852 social scientists, we show that performance differences indeed exist. However, our case study suggests that in the younger generation of researchers these have disappeared. If performance differences exist at all in our case, young female researchers outperform young male researchers. The trend in developed societies, that women increasingly outperform men in all levels of education, is also becoming effective in the science system.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of a broader, multi-dimensional approach to talent that helps scholars and practitioners to fully understand the nuances and complexity of talent in the organizational context. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected in two complementary research projects on the definition and identification of talented academics in the early stages of their careers. The first study focussed on defining and developing talent within university departments, in which the perspectives of management, policy advisors and talented employees themselves were taken into account. The second study investigated talent selection in the specific context of grant allocation by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Findings – The results suggest that the conceptualization of talent cannot be disconnected from its context. In particular, the perceptions of the different stakeholder groups in an organizational context have a major impact. Although talent is generally perceived as a combination of multiple components, this general outcome conceals the unilateral approaches to talent of the separate stakeholder groups. These unilateral interpretations of talent also affect the design of the talent management system. The paper describes the difficulties organizations are confronted within developing and implementing their talent programs. Originality/value – This broader approach regards talent as a bundle of integrated components, and takes the impact of the organizational context and its interrelated stakeholders into account.

Science is increasingly heterogeneous, posing new questions for research evaluation. How can we evaluate the between scientific and societal quality of research, taking into account differences between research fields and between research groups? In this paper we present the findings of two case studies in fields where societal and scholarly output of research are highly intertwined (architecture and law). We analyze the nature of the two fields in terms of research areas and specific aspects of knowledge dynamics. This results in an approach and indicators for contextual research evaluation. Websites of faculty and research groups

The competition for top positions in university rankings has put a stronger emphasis on the quality of university staff. Recruitment of excellent scholars is a core activity for university HRM. In this study, we compare the careers of pairs of similar researchers that were considered as very talented in their early careers. Of every pair, one has a continued academic career, whereas the other does not. We investigate to what extent success in academic career is determined by cultural, social and intellectual capital, and organisational and contextual factors.