LAUSR

A 4-year data set of 274 scientists and technical staff in a Chinese university's physics department was constructed to study the impact of going on international visits (visit) and inviting international scholars (invite) on researchers' academic output. Results showed visit frequency significantly predicted output quantity and quality whereas invites significantly predicted output quantity, but not its quality. Visit/invite frequencies significantly predicted long-term output through short-term output, giving direct proof to their enduring promotion effect on innovation. Visits predicted far-future output through near-future visits whereas invites did not lead to more invites in promoting output. Age moderated the relationship between visits/invites and output. This study provided new evidence on the behavioral and psychological process of international mobility and its impact on research output.