Related Experiment Videos
Multiple authorship: the contribution of senior authors
1Department of Medicine, University Hospital St Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. JPHDrenth@compuserve.com
JAMA
|July 24, 1998
Summary
The number of authors per article in BMJ increased over 20 years, with more senior scientists like professors and department chairpersons contributing. This trend reflects a shift in academic authorship dynamics over time.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research
- Academic Publishing
- Scientific Collaboration
Background:
- Author numbers per article have significantly increased in recent years.
- The hierarchical order of authorship and its evolution remain under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze changes in the number and profile of authors for original articles in BMJ over a 20-year period.
- To test the hypothesis that author numbers increased and senior scientists benefited most.
Main Methods:
- A comparative descriptive analysis was conducted on original articles from BMJ volumes published in 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1995.
- Authors were categorized into eight academic ranks, including professor, department chairperson, consultant, and lecturer/registrar.
Main Results:
- The mean number of authors per article rose from 3.21 in 1975 to 4.46 in 1995.
- The proportion of professor and department chairperson authors increased, while lecturer/registrar authorship decreased.
- First authorship by professors more than doubled, and last authorship by professors also grew significantly.
Conclusions:
- The increase in authors per article in BMJ over two decades is primarily attributed to a rise in contributions from professors and department chairpersons.
- This indicates a trend towards increased senior academic involvement in published research.