The US higher education system concentrates the production of science and scientists within a few institutions. This has implications for minoritized scholars and the topics with which they are disproportionately associated. This paper examines topical alignment between institutions and authors of varying intersectional identities, and the relationship with prestige and scientific impact. We observe a Howard-Harvard effect, in which the topical profile of minoritized scholars are amplified in mission-driven institutions and decreased in prestigious institutions. Results demonstrate a consistent pattern of inequality in topics and research impact. Specifically, we observe statistically significant differences between minoritized scholars and White men in citations and journal impact. The aggregate research profile of prestigious US universities is highly correlated with the research profile of White men, and highly negatively correlated with the research profile of minoritized women. Furthermore, authors affiliated with more prestigious institutions are associated with increasing inequalities in both citations and journal impact. Academic institutions and funders are called to create policies to mitigate the systemic barriers that prevent the United States from achieving a fully robust scientific ecosystem.

翻译：美国高等教育体系将科学及科学家的培养集中在少数几所机构中。这对少数族裔学者及其不成比例关联的研究主题产生了影响。本文考察了不同交叉身份特征的机构与作者之间的主题一致性，及其与学术声望和科学影响力之间的关系。我们观察到一种霍华德-哈佛效应：少数族裔学者的主题特征在使命驱动型机构中被放大，而在声望卓越的机构中则被削弱。研究结果揭示了主题与研究影响力方面持续存在的不平等模式。具体而言，我们观察到少数族裔学者与白人男性在引文量和期刊影响力上存在统计学显著差异。美国顶尖大学的总体研究特征与白人男性的研究特征高度正相关，而与少数族裔女性的研究特征高度负相关。此外，隶属于具有更高声望机构的作者与引文量和期刊影响力方面日益加剧的不平等现象相关。我们呼吁学术机构和资助方制定政策，以消除系统性障碍，防止美国实现一个完全健全的科学生态系统。