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Cooperation and coauthorship in scientific publishing
Lucas Wardil1, Christoph Hauert1
1Department of Mathematics, The University of British Columbia, 1984 Mathematics Road, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z2.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|February 14, 2015
Summary
In academic research, first authors often face publication costs, while last authors gain benefits. This study reveals how author order in multiauthored papers impacts publication counts, affecting academic careers.
Area of Science:
- Bibliometrics
- Scientometrics
- Network Science
Background:
- Research collaboration is increasing, making cooperation and competition key to academic success.
- Author contributions in multiauthored publications are often unequal, impacting individual publication output.
- Author order in publications can indicate differential contributions and career trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the impact of author order on publication counts in multiauthored scientific papers.
- To investigate the costs incurred by first authors and benefits received by last authors.
- To model the evolution of cooperation in academic publishing using network analysis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the complete dataset from Physical Review journals.
- Examination of publication data in relation to author order.
- Development of a simplified network model representing author contributions.
Main Results:
- Increased multiauthored publications correlate with first authors incurring costs and last authors receiving benefits.
- Authors frequently publishing as first authors tend to have fewer short-term publications compared to those publishing as last authors.
- The study models the dynamics of cooperation based on author contributions.
Conclusions:
- Author order in scientific publications is a significant indicator of differential contributions and career outcomes.
- The findings highlight the trade-offs between collaboration roles and individual publication productivity.
- Network analysis provides insights into the evolution of cooperative behaviors in academic research.
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