Scientific Complexity Data

This dataset provides a paper-level measure of scientific complexity for biomedical research articles indexed in PubMed and matched to OpenAlex. It covers 9,627,624 papers with a defined complexity value, published between 1950 and 2023. Each record corresponds to a single OpenAlex work identifier and reports the paper's complexity measure alongside the number of indexed chemical substances used in its construction. The dataset accompanies the paper Complexity and the Uncertain Impact of Novel Science by Nicola Melluso, which contains the full details of the sample construction, the definition of the complexity measure, and its validation. Researchers interested in the methodology should consult that paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2026.105570.Project funded from Piano Nazionale Di Rripresa E Resilienza (PNRR) – NextGeneration EU – Progetto ID: SOE2024_0000059 – CUP: I83C24001020006.