[Changes of authorship characteristics in Hungarian medical publications in the period of 1967-97]

Authorship characteristics of publications appeared in the 1967-1977-1987-1997 volumes of the Orvosi Hetilap (Medical Weekly) were analysed and compared with corresponding data in the international medical literature. Following results were achieved: 1. The total number of medical publications gradually decreased although the number of pages of the volumes steadily increased during the period studied; this could be explained rather by a changed structure or editorial policy than by lowering of the readiness for publishing. 2. The number of authors per paper gradually increased over a period of forty years, the same trend was observed in the world literature as well. 3. Heads of department are more and more included among the authors; previously they gave preference to the first place, presently they figure mostly as last authors. 4. As to the origin of the communications the pattern did nor change essentially: about half of the papers came from university departments, while about 20 to 30 per cent of the authors worked in hospitals; the remaining papers were the result of cooperations. 5. Both the absolute number of ratio of the dual publication of "original" articles decreased in the last twenty years; the language used for dual publication in international journals markedly changed: while in 1967 both English and German were used with the same frequency, in 1997 English was chosen in 95 per cent of dual publications.--Results were discussed rather shortly, similar studies in the international literature were cited, but authors did not intend neither to outline their's point of view nor to to take part in the current international discussion on authorship.