Matthew effect (in science)

Definition: Named for the ‘rich get richer; poor get poorer’ paraphrase of the Gospel of Matthew. Eminent scientists and early-career researchers with a prestigious fellowship are disproportionately attributed greater levels of credit and funding for their contributions to science while relatively unknown or early-career researchers without a prestigious fellowship tend to get disproportionately little credit for comparable contributions. The impact is a substantial cumulative advantage that results from modest initial comparative advantages (and vice versa).